Wings of Light - Awakening
by EmeraldWings1992
Summary: Bk 1 - Sometimes, Guardian Angels fail. And when they do, they're cursed. But after the fall of her world, Paradise, one cursed angel is given a second chance at being a guardian, this time the three Keyblade Wielders. Can she save Ven, Aqua, and Terra from their dark destinies, or will she fail once again?
1. Different Worlds

**A/N:** Alrighty guys! I'm as bad as Square, haha! This series connects to my other series, the _Turnabout Hearts_ series. You don't have to read that before this, but I would suggest reading it before the story set during _358/2 Days_ , and especially before _Kingdom Hearts III_ , because that's where this series and that one will combine into one.

This story follow an OC who has been BEGGING for her story to be written, and you'll meet her in this chapter!

Unlike Aurora, the protag of _Turnabout Hearts,_ she is not related to any canon character.

Alright… I don't think I have much more to put here. So, here we go!

…

Chapter One: Different Worlds

It was dark in Paradise, a beautiful world that knew both light and darkness of its own. Night had fallen long ago, and the stars could be seen clearly above Hominum, a lush oasis full of crystal water and beautiful white marble buildings. A small family was making their way quickly among these buildings, dodging around the numerous pillars that decorated them.

Shadows surged after them, growing closer all the time, but the family seemed oblivious to them.

Another figure flew above them, long, strong dark wings stretched wide, shaping the air beneath them to allow her to glide. Her eyes were locked on the shadows, a glowing sword in her hand.

Suddenly, the family of three stopped. The father pulled a large long bow off his back. The winged figure shifted her gaze from the shadows to in front of the family, and cursed her one-track mind.

Three Demons, hideous beings of darkness, stood before the family. They were about eight feet tall, with oily gray skin, bulging muscles, and long sharp teeth and claws.

The man stood in between them and his wife and young son, who could only be about four, but the bow was shaking.

And the shadows behind them were still creeping up on them, unnoticed by the family.

The winged figure tucked her black wings against her back and dived, slamming into the demon closest to the man, her sword of light punching through his chest. Both hit the ground, and the family gasped.

"An angel must be here!" the man said, relief in his voice.

"She is! I see her!" the young boy yelled excitedly. The winged figure's head snapped up, and she turned to look at the boy, who was watching her with bright eyes.

"Wha?"

The demon she had tackled wasn't dead. He grabbed the Angel by the hair and threw her off of him, her sword, which was still in his chest, vanishing. The Angel picked herself up and shook her head, summoning another light sword to hand, just in time to block a swing from his ax. She stumbled from the force, only to hit the ground when the ax slammed into her sword once more.

The three demons surrounded the Angel, trapping her. They crowded in too close, making it impossible for her to spread her wings to get into the air.

Screams erupted from the family. The Angel's head snapped in their direction, in time to see the shadows that had been following the family jump out at them. They weren't quite demons, but they were black, with glowing yellow eyes.

"No!" she screamed as two of the creatures jumped on the young boy.

"Help!" he cried.

The demons got in the Angel's way, preventing her from helping the young child.

"Be it us or them who drags that boy into darkness, at least now we won't have to worry about him," one of the demons snickered, before raising his ax.

A blade of light suddenly blossomed from his chest, the point stopping less than an inch from the Angel's face.

"It is not honorable for three to gang up on one," a deep voice said from behind the demon, and snowy white wings unfurled from around a body that stood behind the impaled demon. He scoffed. "But then, what more should we expect from a demon?" The man looked over the demon's shoulder, straight at the female Angel.

"Olor!" the woman gasped.

"Corva! Leave these Demons to me. Save your charge!" the man, Olor, cried, wrenching the impaled demon aside.

"Right!" Corva said, diving through the gap and snapping her wings open. She charged through the air, directly towards where the shadows were dragging the child.

Just before she reached them, however, a large, black portal opened, and the shadows dragged the young boy right into it. He cried out for help, but by the time Corva reached the portal, it was gone.

…

Corva stood in the middle of a brightly lit hall on a raised dais. In stands that surrounded it were hundreds of other Angels, their feathers ranging from snowy white, to tawny, and even some brown. The only black feathers to be found in the room were in Corva's own wings, which were wrapped tightly around her, as though to protect her from the accusatory glares of the others.

She turned to face a panel set up at the end of the dais. Olor stood at the end of the table, refusing to meet her eyes. Meanwhile, three older men glared at her.

"You lost your charge," the one in the middle said, his feathers a ghostly gray.

"You allowed him to be dragged into darkness," the one to his left, with light blue feathers added.

"You were unable to save him," the last one, on the right, finished, his feathers just as white as Olor's.

"I… I was overwhelmed. It wasn't just the demons, but shadows as well," Corva said, trying to defend herself. She turned to look at Olor. "Please, Olor, you saw the situation. Tell them!" she pleaded. Olor simply turned his head away, staying silent.

"It was not Olor's job to protect the boy, it was yours. We, the Angelic Diviners, had predicted he'd have a much longer life then just four years," gray wings said, his voice sharp.

"He was predicted to save the world from darkness," blue feathers added.

"But now, he is unable to do that," white feathers added.

"I am sure you know what this means, Corva," the first said. Tears pooled into the young woman's eyes.

"I… I was overwhelmed. Please…. Please give me another chance," she begged, but was only met with stony silence. The tears in her eyes flowed over, streaming down her face. She turned to Olor. "Please…" she whispered. His head was still turned away, but his only reaction was to clench his hands into fists.

"There is no other choice." The first of the Diviners, the one with gray feathers, stood, glaring down at Corva. "From this day forth, Corva, you bare a curse. Everything and everyone you touch will die. With this information, do what you will. We are done here."

Corva fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. There was lots of noise from around her as the watching angels left, returning home to their families to tell them what had happened there that night, until finally, it was just Corva and Olor in the room.

After a moment longer, Olor turned towards the door. Corva looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Why?" she asked faintly. Olor stopped, and Corva quickly rose to her feet. "Why didn't you speak up for me!?" she yelled at him, stalking forward. "You're supposed to be my best friend! You saw the odds I was against. WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING!?" She grabbed his shoulder, and Olor yanked away, as though burned. Corva's breath caught in her throat, and she stepped back.

"You're cursed, Corva. The moment you lost your charge, you fell under the curse. There was nothing… is nothing, that I can do now," Olor said, before swiftly walking away. He stopped at the door, turning to look at her with sad eyes. "If things could have gone differently… we would have been very happy together. But now…" he trailed off, before leaving.

 _A Year Later_

Tonight was just as dark as that night, one year ago. The stars were clear and bright, shining over Angelus, a small kingdom situated high in the clouds high above Hominum.

Corva sat, perched on the roof of a small ramshackle house that sat on a cloud isolated from the main city of Angelus, her long, black wings wrapped around her lithe, muscular body in and attempt to keep warm

Suddenly, a light shot across the sky, just before her eyes. "A shooting star," she said with a small smile, her dark eyes lighting up. More and more lights began to streak across the sky, and her smile grew. "A meteor shower!" she breathed, finding happiness in this small glimpse of beauty.

…

Three days. It's been three days since Master Eraqus put his two older apprentices through the Mark of Mastery, although only one showed the Mark. Telling them that had been the hardest thing he'd ever done…

It's been three days since Master Xehanort went missing, and monsters began appearing in the worlds.

It's been three days since he sent the newest Master, Aqua, and his older apprentice, Terra, to go investigate.

Three days since his youngest apprentice, Ventus, ran away from home.

Eraqus stood at the window of the Audience Chamber in The Land of Departure, watching out the window. He hoped, beyond hope, that he would see at least Ventus ride in on his Keyblade Glider, sent home by Master Aqua, or even better, realizing his own folly.

But the courtyard outside was as still as ever.

He heaved a great sigh, resting his arm against the side of the window frame, and his forehead against that. He was deeply troubled.

Worries about Ventus swirled around in his head, as well as about Terra. The latter had shown signs of being unable to contain the Darkness in his heart during the Mark of Mastery Exam, despite all of his training. A shudder raced through Eraqus at the thought.

A flash of light from outside the window suddenly caught the man's attention. Looking out, he watched a ball of light streak towards the ground, landing somewhere beyond the Mountain Path.

Hesitating for only a moment, he rushed from the castle towards the area. His hand flexed around the handle of his Keyblade, Master's Defender, as he made his way to the landing site of the ball of light.

He didn't know what to expect.

Finally, he reached the Summit at the end of the Path, and slowed to a stop. There was a small crater, not too far from the edge of the cliff. A painful moan came from inside.

He moved forward, stopping once more at the edge of the crater.

Inside was a young woman, about Ven's age. She had long black hair, and barely seemed conscious.

But the oddest part… was the fact that she had wings.

Longer then she was tall, and the same color as her hair, a pair of wings sprouted from her back. The right was one curled forward, covering the girl protectively, but the left one was spread out. Between the middle and end joint, similar to the elbow and wrist of an arm, the wing was twisted in an awkward, painful way.

The girl let out another pained moan, her body shuddering slightly, and Eraqus realized that she was in shock. He banished Master's Defender and carefully climbed into the crater.

"It's alright, it's alright, I've got you," he muttered softly. He gently ran his fingers over her injured wing. The hard muscle under the soft layer of feathers quivered slightly, until he reached the twisted part, where they seemed to jump. He carefully felt that area, feeling the break, and the girl moaned louder.

 _A broken wing, only in one spot. I'll have to take her back to the castle and set the bone, before I can splint it…_ he thought, looking back at the girl. Her shivering was a little stronger now, and her lips were pale, tinged slightly with blue. Worried, the Keyblade Master moved to her uninjured side and carefully pulled that wing back.

The girl was wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt that was formfitting, and black shorts that stopped just above her knees. A pair of goggles hung loosely around her neck, and a white belt held the shorts up. Eraqus quickly pulled his jacket off and laid it over her, hoping to keep her warm. He then carefully picked the girl up, folding her wings as he did so that he would not trip over them.

He cringed as the girl cried out in pain as her injured wing was jostled, but she didn't wake up. Hoping he wouldn't be too late in saving her wing, he hurried to the castle.

…

Cold. That was the first sensation Corva awoke to. Her whole body was cold.

Then it was the pain. Pain was spiraling from her left wing, through her spine, and into the base of her skull. She whimpered slightly, and tried to curl it around herself for comfort.

"Careful, careful. I just elevated that," a voice said softly. Corva jumped slightly and turned her head, only to see a tan man with black hair and kind, yet stern eyes. He was standing at the door, bandages in hand, watching her.

"Wh-where are you wings?" she asked, her dark gray eyes widening slightly. Her brain was still muddled, and she had no idea what was going on. The man smiled in dry amusement.

"I don't have any," he said, placing the bandages down and sitting in a chair that was placed next to the bed she found herself in. She watched him for a moment, before looking up at her elevated wing.

"I wasn't quite sure how to treat a broken wing. So, I acted lit it was any other kind of bone. I set it and splinted it," the man explained. Corva carefully sat up, making sure not to move her wing, and studied it. There were two pieces of wood, one on each side of the wing, that were as long as the wing at that point, the bone between the wing's elbow and wrist joints. The two boards were tied tightly together using cloth ropes so that her wing was sandwiched between them. She smiled slightly

"It's perfect. It should heal in no time," she muttered, thinking back on when Olor broke his—she shook her head, pushing the memory away.

"I am quite happy to hear that," the man said with a smile. "I am Eraqus."

"Oh, excuse my rudeness. I'm Corva. And… thanks for fixing my wing," Corva said. She turned back to the man and studied him for a moment longer, her thoughts clearing up. "But.. if you're not an Angel, how can you see me?" she asked.

"Hm?" he hummed, raising an eyebrow.

"Humans shouldn't be able to see Angels…" Corva explained. Eraqus leaned forward.

"I see. Corva… you're not in your own world anymore," Eraqus explained. Corva's eyes widened, and she looked down.

"Then… it wasn't a dream…" she breathed.

…

In the passing days, Eraqus learned more about his unexpected guest, while Corva learned more about her kind host.

Eraqus was fascinated by the angelic culture, but began to noticed how reserved Corva was, and how she seemed to actively avoid him from time to time.

After about a week of this, as Corva's wing was just about healed, he decided to ask her.

"Corva," he began, watching as the Angel pushed the veggies around her plate. She'd already eaten the entrée, a meat dish, but her veggies had already made about eight laps around her plate.

She kind of reminded him of Ventus in that aspect.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I don't mean to pry, but I've noticed there are times you… tend to avoid me," he began. Corva's eyes dropped guiltily back to her plate. "I was just hoping you could tell me… why?"

"It's not because I'm ungrateful," she began slowly. "In fact… that's the polar opposite of the truth," she added softly.

"I never thought that, but… I am afraid I don't understand," Eraqus said. Corva sighed and put her fork down, looking up at the Master.

"When an Angel is fifteen, she is given a charge, a human, whose life span is predicted by the Angelic Diviners," she said. Eraqus nodded, having already learned this. "Well, I had a charge: a four-year-old boy named Michael. He was prophesized to end the reign of Demon's on my world when he turned twenty," she explained. "Of course… both the Angels and the Demons knew this, so… it was a challenge. Especially for someone who had just graduated from the Guardian Angel Academy, even if she was the top of her class."

"That does seem like a large responsibility," Eraqus sympathized. Corva nodded, before letting out a slow sigh, staying silent for a few minutes.

"I failed…" she finally whispered. Eraqus quickly looked up at her, only to see tears in her eyes. "Almost exactly a year ago. He and his parents were attacked by demons, who overpowered me. And… while I was trying to deal with them… Shadows took him."

"'Shadows'?" Eraqus asked softly. Corva shook her head with a shrug.

"New creatures of darkness. Our weapons didn't work on them, and they move along the ground like disembodied shadows." She shook her head again and looked up at the man.

"When an Angel fails to protect her charge… it is said they become cursed." She looked down at her hands. "Everything they touch… dies. So… in order to protect you from my curse… I've been trying to—"

"I understand," Eraqus said, before standing and walking over to the young angel. He knelt in front of her, putting a hand over hers. "But this is no longer your world, and world specific magic holds no effect to those not of that world," he said. Corva looked up at him in surprise, and Eraqus smiled warmly at her. "You have no need to worry about such a curse when you are with those of other worlds, such as myself. Do you understand?" he asked. Corva hesitated a moment longer, before smiling warmly at him.

"I do. Thank you, Master Eraqus," she said. Eraqus smiled back, before retaking his seat.

"Don't forget to eat your vegetables," he added, his smile growing at the groan that erupted from the teenager.

…

After about another week, Eraqus stepped outside, only to see Corva soaring through the air, her left wing finally fully healed. He smiled warmly, watching the young woman, until finally, she noticed him.

"Master Eraqus!" she called, diving towards him. Right before she slammed into the ground in front of him, she flared her wings open, landing on her feet. She pulled the goggles from over her eyes, moving them up to sit on top of her head.

"I see you finally have full flight back," he said. Corva smiled, nodding.

"Yep. I figured I'd try it. Man, I've missed flying," she sighed. Eraqus chuckled, holding a hand out towards her left wing.

"May I?" he asked.

"Sure," the Angel replied, stretching that wing out. Eraqus felt along where the break had been, and nodded approvingly.

"It's fully healed. Does it hurt any?" he asked.

"Nope, just a little stiff," Corva replied. The Master chuckled with a nod.

"That's to be expected." He let go of her wing, crossing his arms once more, as she folded that wing behind her. "Well, then, now what will you do?" he asked. Corva was quiet for a moment, before looking up at the sky.

"You… seem to be waiting for something or someone. It's your apprentices, isn't it?" she asked, turning back to the man. Eraqus jumped slightly, before smiling sadly.

"Yes. Ventus, the apprentice who is your age, ran away from home when I sent the other two to investigate the monsters," he said. Corva nodded. Eraqus had already told her what had happened just after the Mark of Mastery; the disappearance of the Master and the monsters that appeared. Corva herself knew about those monsters, as they had attacked her world, Paradise, just before it fell to darkness.

"I had asked Aqua to send him home, but…"

"It's already been some time," Corva said softly. Eraqus nodded sadly, and the girl could see the worry deep in his eyes.

"Alright, then. Master Eraqus, you helped me so much, and took care of me. Let me repay you by finding Ventus and bringing him home," Corva said with determination. Eraqus's eyes widened.

"You would do that for me?" he asked. Corva nodded in determination.

"Yes. I mean… if you'd allow me," she added. A smile of relief crossed the old Master's face, and he nodded.

"Thank you," he said, before reaching into his pocket. From it, he pulled out a metal amulet. It had a boxy heart shape. It matched the emblem that was set into the armor plate he wore on his torso. "Take this. All three of my apprentices wear this, and it will prove to them that you are working with my trust," he explained. Corva nodded, hooking it onto her belt, and sliding it over so that it was at her right hip. His eyebrows then drew together. "But… how will you travel the lanes in between?" he suddenly asked. Corva smiled.

"By flying, of course," she said, moving her goggles back to over her eyes. "The Angels always knew there were other worlds, and we developed a way to travel in between them," she explained as her body became cloaked in light. Eraqus recognized it as the same light that made up her sword, and realized that it must be just as strong as armor.

"I will bring Ventus back. I promise," she said, before taking off into the air. Eraqus watched after her, before sighing wearily.

"You be careful, too, Corva," he said softly.

…

 **A/N:** Here we go! How'd you like that for a set up?


	2. Ventus

**A/N:** Here's a new chapter!

You know how weird it is to write Aurora's name and NOT mean my Aurora…?

Anyways, ONWARD!

…

Chapter Two: Ventus

Last time Corva flew through the Lanes In Between, she had been scared, and tired, and careless. She had actually been very lucky to land in The Land of Departure after she crashed into an asteroid (even if the landing had broken her wing). This time, however, she was much more careful with her flying.

She was also thrilled to see multiple worlds close by.

"Although… Ventus could be in any of these…" she muttered to herself as she looked between three of them. "As could Aqua and Terra… Hmm… Well, it's been a few weeks. Let's try the furthest," she muttered to herself, deciding on a world. From afar, it looked to be made up of two castles: one surrounded by lush lands, glowing with light, and another surrounded by thorns, exuding darkness.

"Man… if he is here… I hope he's in that light castle," Corva muttered to herself as she drew closer.

…

"It's so quiet…" Corva muttered to herself, walking slowly through the castle. After landing, she had decided to check inside first, thinking she could ask a guard or something if they'd seen a kid like Ventus… but there was no one there.

In fact… it seemed as though the whole castle was asleep. Corva shuddered, wrapping her wings around herself.

It was creepy.

" _Still no sign of Terra…"_ a young voice suddenly echoed towards her. Corva froze.

 _Wait… someone looking for Terra? Could it be Aqua? Or Ventus!?_ She thought excitedly, before running forward.

"Hello?" she called.

"Huh?"

The voice was closer this time. She rounded a corner, and skidded to a stop, hardly able to believe her good luck.

Standing at the end of the hall was a young man, her age, dressed in black and white clothes. He had blond, spiky hair, and bright blue eyes.

But what really excited Corva was the emblem he wore on his chest.

"Who are you?" he asked, surprised.

"Are you Ventus?" she asked at the same time. The boy immediately went on guard, summoning his Keyblade.

"Who are you?" he asked again, this time a little more forcefully, as he dropped into a fighting stance.

"Wait, wait!" she called, turning slightly so he could see the emblem on her belt. "I'm a friend of Master Eraqus," she quickly explained. Ventus calmed down a little, standing straight once more. "I met him after you and the other two left. Please, I mean you no harm," Corva added.

"Well, alright. Um, yeah, I'm Ventus… but you can just call me Ven," he said, banishing his Keyblade. Corva smiled, walking over and holding her hand out to shake his.

"I'm Corva. It's nice to meet you," she said. He grinned at her with a nod.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you, too. But…" His face fell slightly.

"Why am I here?" she asked. He nodded, and Corva sighed. "Master Eraqus… he saved my life. And, to repay him… I came to find you, to take you home. Ven, he's worried about you," she explained. Ven frowned.

"I can't go back yet," he said, turning towards the door to his right. "I need to find Terra first. I need to talk to him," he insisted, walking in. The angel followed after him.

"Yeah, but Ven—Ah!" Corva immediately fell quiet, noticing a young woman asleep in the bedroom they had just barged into. Ven had turned to face the woman as well, before tip-toing over to her.

"Ven!" Corva hissed, trying and failing at catching his arm. He turned his head and put a finger to his lips, prompting the angel to frown.

"Oh…" he breathed, looking again at the woman.

"Stop!" a voice suddenly snapped from behind the two intruders, causing both to jump and spin around. "You get away from her!"

Three woman stood, glaring at the two of them. The one in the front wore a red dress, to her right wore a green dress, and to her left was in blue. All three had cloaks and pointed hats that matched their dresses, and all three pointed wands threateningly at the two of them.

"Wha—Oh, I'm sorry," Ven said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Heh, yeah, we were just leaving," Corva added, grabbing Ven's arm.

"Yeah…" He glanced back at the sleeping woman, before giving the three older ladies a placating smile. "It's just, I've never seen anyone so beautiful," he added sheepishly. The three older ladies seemed to relax at that.

Suddenly, the one in red rose into the air, and Corva noticed little wings on her back that moved much like bee wings.

 _Those are probably easier to deal with, but…_ her thought trailed off as she ran her fingers through the feathers of her right wing, not at all jealous of the fairy's wings.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, fluttering around the two.

"I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven," Ven said.

"And I'm Corva. I don't have a nickname," Corva added, and both teenagers smiled at the older woman, turning their heads to watch her.

"We're Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather," the red one said, motioning first to herself, then the green one, then the blue.

"Oh. You two don't seem bad, dears," Fauna said, returning their smiles. "I'm certain your hearts are pure, just like our precious Aurora."

"Aurora? Is that her name?" Corva asked, looking over at the girl. Ven was right, she was beautiful. The three fairies nodded with smiles.

"Can you tell me why she's sleeping?" Ven asked.

"Long ago, Maleficent cursed her. Now, she's stolen her heart," Flora answered.

"Cursed, huh?" Corva muttered, glancing back at the woman again. Her own heart squeezed in sympathy.

"Yes, it was awful, dear," Fauna sighed. Ven crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"I don't know what we can do about a curse… but why don't we go get her heart back for her?" the boy offered, motioning to himself and Corva. The angel quickly turned to look at him, surprised.

"That's impossible, dear," Fauna said. "Maleficent's home is at the Forbidden Mountain. It's not safe."

 _So… that dark castle then. Fun._ Corva thought sarcastically.

"I'm not afraid. Are you?" he asked, looking at Corva. She shook her head.

"No… and we can't just leave Aurora like this," Corva said. She knew she promised Eraqus she'd bring Ventus home, but… surely he'd understand if they helped this girl first, right?

"See! We can help. You gotta believe us," Ven added, starting to get fired up. It was contagious.

"C'mon, let's go get her heart!" she added, her feathers quivering slightly as she got fired up as well.

"You know, you two are absolutely right," Flora said. "The Forbidden Mountain is through the forest. Come along—follow us. After all, we wouldn't want you two to get lost."

The two teenagers exchanged grins, before nodding to the fairy and following them out of Aurora's room.

As they moved through the hall, the monsters that were spreading across the worlds appeared and attacked.

"Unversed!" Ven gasped, summoning his Keyblade and attacking.

"Is that what these are called?" Corva asked, summoning her own sword. It looked just like the swords held by the suits of armor that decorated the halls, but the hilt was gold, and the blade was bluish-white. The whole thing glowed faintly – it was Corva's Holy Sword. She dove forward, her wings flaring slightly, and slashed at the monsters attacking Ven's back.

"Yeah," Ven answered, throwing himself at the monsters. Corva spun, battering some of the smaller monsters with her spread wings and kicking up air. The downside to fighting inside was that she was unable to take flight, which was where she felt the most comfortable in a fight.

Finally, however, the two managed to finish off the last of the Unversed.

"That's it for now," Ventus said, before smiling at Corva. "You're a good fighter. Did the Master teach you all that?"

"Nah. I've been training since I was eight," Corva replied, banishing her Holy Sword and tucking her wings comfortably behind her backs, smoothing her hands along the flight primaries.

"Wow… that's a long time… how old are you?" Ven asked as the two of them walked.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to ask a lady that?" Corva replied in a huff.

"Uh…" Ven turned scarlet, rubbing the back of his neck. Corva glanced over at him, and laughed.

"Hey, hey! I was just teasing you. I'm sixteen, same as you," she said, still giggling.

"Oh," the boy huffed, his cheeks puffing out in a pout. That only caused the fairies to join in with Corva's laughter, and soon, Ven started laughing as well. He then grinned.

"Come on. Time's a wasting!" he said, hopping down the steps of the curved staircase that lead to the large throne room. They faced more of the Unversed (Corva was able to take to the air this time, with how large the room was), before going outside, crossing a large stone bridge, and entering the lush green forest.

"So… can I ask about the wings?" Ven asked after a few moments of silence.

"My wings? What about them?" Corva asked.

"Well, um… why… do you have them?" the boy suddenly seemed unsure of his question, causing Corva to laugh.

"Oh, that's simple. I'm not human," she said.

"Wha?"

"I'm an angel."

"Oh…" Ven was silent for a moment. He looked back at her again. "Like a Guardian Angel? Is that why you know how to fight so well?" he asked. Corva froze, and her wings seemed to shrink slightly.

"I used to be a Guardian, yes," she said softly.

"Oh, cool!" Ven didn't seem to hear the tone she used. Instead, he folded his arms behind his head, looking up at the sky. He suddenly stopped. "In that case…"

"Hm?" Corva looked up at the boy, curious.

"I… I think Terra might be in danger. I know you're a friend of the Master's, and you said you'd take me home, but…" He turned to Corva, dropping his arms, a pleading look in his eyes. "Could you… help Terra instead? Act as his Guardian Angel, and keep him safe, until I can talk to him?"

"I… Why do you think he's in danger?" Corva asked.

"I just… it's just this feeling I have. _Please_ , Corva. Once we help Aurora… could you go find him and keep him safe?" His eyes widened as he stared at the angel, and Corva couldn't help the sigh that escaped her.

 _I'm… sorry, Master Eraqus… but maybe I can make it up to you this way?_ "Alright, Ven."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Good, now let's keep going!" Satisfied and happy once more, he struck off in a random direction into the trees.

"It's this way, dear!" Flora called.

"Right!" Ven, not to be daunted, said, quickly turning that way. Corva chuckled, shaking her head at him and following.

After a little while of walking and fighting Unversed, the group reached the end of the forest, which was blocked off by green flames.

"What's this?" Corva wondered.

"Looks like we're stuck," Ven said, crossing his arms.

"This must be Maleficent's doing," Flora declared.

"I know," Fauna said, before fluttering forward. She waved her wand, and green light shot from the tip, hitting the flames and clearing them away.

"Shall we?" she asked, turning back to the group, who all nodded in agreement.

It was like stepping into a new world, leaving the forest. Compared to the lush greenery behind them, ahead was dead and barren, with no signs of life. Even the air seemed dirtier, and the sky had grown to a dark, stormy gray.

"I… don't want to be here," Corva muttered, her feathers rustling from fear.

"We don't have a choice," Ven said in determination, running forward. Corva sighed, following after him.

Once they reached the castle courtyard, it wasn't Unversed that were attacking them, but weird warthog-men things. Some were armed with bows, while others with axes.

"Let's get 'em!" Corva said, Holy Sword appearing in her hands.

"Right!" Ven agreed, summoning Wayward Wind. The two went to town on the pig men, until finally, they managed to clear a path to the entrance of the castle.

"There's more of them guarding that door," Corva whispered, noticing two of the pig men.

"Right, which means there's must be something through there," Ven muttered back. Corva and the fairies nodded.

"Careful… they're Maleficent's henchmen," Flora warned.

One of them suddenly yawned, and Corva had to smother her laughter at that. She grinned at Ven.

"Let's give them a little wake up call, shall we?"

"Yeah!" he replied, running forward. Corva was right behind him. "Ten-shun!" Ven yelled. Both guards jumped. "No sleeping on the job!" Both teens summoned their weapons, dropping into fighting positions.

"Just for that, we'll have to take disciplinary action!" Corva added, lunging for the one on the left. Ven, in his usual style, made quick work of the one on the right. Just as they finished those two off, more came running from the other two doors, attacking the two teens. Corva took to the sky, weaving back and forth to avoid the arrows shot at her.

She held her hand out, palm facing the henchmen, and shot small balls of light at them. Meanwhile, Ven had his hands full with the axe wielding ones, until finally, they managed to take all of them out.

"That takes care of that," Corva said. Ven nodded.

"Yep. Let's keep going," he said, and the two moved deeper into the castle.

At first glance, the hall they entered was large and empty. As they moved forward, however, walls appeared, turning the place into a maze too small for Corva to spread her wings enough to take flight.

Even if she could, the walls went all the way up to the ceiling, so it would have been useless.

"I guess we just go through this the old fashioned way," Ven said. Corva sighed.

"The old fashioned way sucks," she replied, causing the boy to laugh. As they moved forward, more of Maleficent's goons appeared, forcing the two to take them out in order to advance. Overall, it was a long, and very annoying process.

"Finally," Corva breathed once they found the exit.

"We're not done yet," Ven warned her, just as more enemies rounded the corner of the small corridor they were in.

"Oh, give me a break!" Corva snapped, launching herself forward at them.

Unfortunately, this corridor lead right back into the maze room, and it took the five of them three more tries until they finally found the right exit, a red portal which lead to a different room.

In here was an alter. Green fire burned strongly in the center, and within the flames was a bright light.

"Do you think that's…?" Corva began.

"It's gotta be," Ven replied, racing forward. The others followed after him.

He stopped just a few feet from the alter, and glanced down at his Keyblade with a determined nod, before pointing it at the flames.

Light surrounded the blade, before suddenly shooting out, hitting the fire and causing it to fade. The heart shot over their heads, and out of the castle.

"That should do it!" Ven said brightly, watching after it.

"Where is it going?" Corva asked.

"Back to Aurora. Now we just need to break the curse," Merryweather said.

"And that'll wake her up?" Ven guessed.

"Yep!" the blue fairy said brightly.

"Well, let's—" Corva cut off as a bright light suddenly surrounded her and Ven.

"Don't you remember? We've met before," a man's voice said, and suddenly, they were back in the woods, facing a handsome young man with brown hair.

"We… we have?" Aurora, who's hand was held by the man, asked. She was dressed differently, wearing peasant clothes compared to the princess gown they had first seen her in.

"Why of course. You said so yourself—once upon a dream," the man said excitedly, letting go of her hand. Aurora seemed about to leave… until he said those last words. She turned back to the man with a smile, and this time willingly took his hand.

"I never thought I would meet you—outside of my dreams, that is," she said as the two settled under a tree, watching the river.

"Who are you? What's your name?" the man asked.

"Hmm? Oh, my name… Why it's… Oh, oh-no, I can't…" she suddenly seemed panicked, pulling away from him. "Goodbye!" she called, running away.

"I must see you!" the man pleaded, causing her to hesitate.

"I don't know, maybe someday!" she continued to run.

"When? Tomorrow?" the man tried again. The girl stopped once more.

"Oh, no. This evening! At the cottage, in the glen," Aurora said. Light surrounded them once more, and Corva was once again standing beside Ven in Maleficent's run down castle.

"What was that?" Ven asked, looking around.

"Aurora's memory," Flora said.

"So, if she met him in a dream, then in real life…" Corva trailed off.

"Then her dream came true!" Ven asked excitedly.

"Yes, not long ago," Flora said. "Dreams are very strong beliefs. Aurora's led her to her true love."

"I see you two hold strong beliefs too. Don't you, dears?" Fauna asked.

"Yup," Ven said with a grin. Corva hesitated, before looking down.

 _I don't think I do. I used to. My dream had to become a Guardian Angel, but…_

"You also have a strong light. Both of you," Flora said, causing Corva to look up again.

"Really?" Corva asked, while Ven seemed thoughtful. The old fairy nodded with a smile.

"Alright, hurry! We can't stay here!" Marryweather said, reminding them of the situation they were in.

"Right." The five of them quickly made their way out, back to the room where they had given the guards their wake up call.

This time, however, a tall woman in a black robe stood in the center of the room.

"Someone has released Aurora's heart. Tell me, children, was it you?" she demanded, turning to face them with a glare.

"Maleficent!" Flora gasped softly.

"Only cause you stole it in the first place!" Ven snarled, rushing forward, his Keyblade at the ready.

"Ven, wait!" Corva cried, quickly following, her sword appearing in her hands.

His attack never hit, though, as the woman vanished into green flames, appearing once more in the raised platform at the top of the room, just in front of a throne.

"A Keyblade… You must be Ventus," she said, before casting her eyes to Corva. "Though I know not of you…" she added without interest, turning her attention back to the boy.

"Huh? How do you know about me… and the Keyblade?" he demanded.

"My powers ensure I'd know of the key to bringing me hearts," she replied. "Terra gave me a demonstration."

"Terra!?" the two teens gasped in surprise.

"He was here?" Ven asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Why yes. In fact, it was he who stole Princess Aurora's heart," Maleficent said with a smirk.

"Liar!" Corva yelled. "I might not have met him yet, but from everything I've heard of Terra, he'd never do something so dark!"

"I was asked to leave the boy unharmed… but I have no control over what happens if he helps his meddlesome friend!" she yelled, before suddenly launching an attack aimed at Corva.

Corva pumped her wings, launching into the air and dodging the attack.

"Ven, get out of here!" she yelled.

"Not a chance! I'm not leaving you alone to deal with her!" the boy replied.

"And neither are we!" Flora's voice said, coming from a floating red light that flew over to the two of them, joined by a green and blue one. Maleficent didn't give them time to develop a strategy, however, as she attacked again, shooting green flames at Ven, who rolled out of the way.

Just before Corva could dive bomb the dark fairy's position, she vanished appearing in the middle of the room. A sickly green shockwave erupted from her, forcing Ven to jump into the air to dodge it. Corva swooped down, landing a few strikes on Maleficent, before she vanished again.

"This is the end! Behold the mistress of all evil!" the dark fairy yelled, and a swirl of darkness appeared, slamming into Corva's chest. She gasped in pain and shock at the sudden cold, and her wings went limp, causing her to drop to the ground.

"Corva!" Ven yelled, but he was unable to rush over to help the Angel as the swirl suddenly shot towards him. He rolled out of the way, jumping to his feet just as the swirl faded, revealing Maleficent.

"Are you okay, dear?" Fauna asked, her green light hovering around Corva's face. Corva nodded, pushing herself up and stretching both wings, making sure she didn't reinjure her left one.

She then looked up to see the three fairies hovering around her. "I have an idea. Can you three protect us for a few minutes?" she asked.

"Yes, dear. What do you have in mind?" Flora asked.

"Well, I want to see if Ven's and my light are as strong as you say," Corva said, before jumping to her feet.

Just then, Ven, who'd been attacking the dark fairy, was thrown back, forcing Corva to catch him before he slammed into one of the pillars.

"Thanks," he gasped.

"Yeah. Listen—" she said, quickly telling him her plan. He grinned with a nod.

"I like it!"

"Then let's do it," Corva said.

"No matter the plan you two concoct, it will not be enough to defeat me!" Maleficent said.

"Now, Ven!" Corva cried.

"Got it!" Both held their sword in the air, charging up light attacks, while the good fairies flew around them, intercepting Maleficent's strikes.

"Go!" Corva yelled when she felt like she couldn't hold onto the attack any longer. Both teens shot forward, out of the protective circle the fairies created, and slammed their swords into Maleficent. As soon as the charged weapons made contact, they exploded with light, sending the dark fairy flying.

"Had enough?" Corva demanded as the woman picked herself up and limped up the steps, back to where her throne was.

"There's no way Terra would hurt somebody like that!" Ven yelled, not giving the woman a chance to answer Corva.

"You two don't believe me?" Maleficent asked, seeming to catch her breath. "That's unfortunate, for he agreed so easily."

"He did?" Ven asked, a crack of doubt showing.

"Ve—" Corva started, only to be cut off by another voice.

"Ven! Don't be fooled!"

Both teens looked over to see a woman with blue hair running over to them. Corva smiled when seeing the emblem on her chest that marked her as one of Eraqus's apprentices.

"Aqua!" Ven called, confirming Corva's thoughts. Aqua reached them, and smiled.

"Terra would never do that," Aqua said. "You know that as well as I do."

"Yeah!" Ven said with a grin.

"Heck, I haven't even met him yet, and I know he wouldn't do that," Corva added. Ven grinned at her, while Aqua glanced questioningly at the angel, wondering who she was.

"Ahh… the truth can be most cruel, even amongst the closest of friends," Maleficent said, gaining their attention once more. "After all, one never knows the secrets of another's heart. I'm sure you'll agree… Ventus… Aqua," she said, ignoring Corva's presence entirely.

Aqua scowled, then turned to Ven. "The Master sent me," she said to him.

 _That's right! He said he asked Aqua to find and take Ven home…_

"Huh? You, too?" he asked.

Aqua nodded."Yes. Ven… let's go home."

"But… Terra," he said, turning and making eye contact with Corva. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Terra's not ready to leave yet," Aqua said. Ven frowned for a moment, seeming to remember something that the two girls knew nothing of.

"Sorry, Aqua…" Ven said quietly. "But, I can't go with you."

"What?" Aqua muttered.

"It's just… I have to find him before it's too late!" Ven exclaimed. "Corva, don't you dare forget your promise!" he demanded, before rushing off, leaving the two girls behind.

"Ven!" they both called, but it was no use. He didn't turn back.

…

 **A/N:** And I'm ending this one here! Let me tell you… it was hard not typing Aurora when I meant Corva because there IS and Aurora in this chapter (and there will be one next chapter, too), and and and… yeah. I went over this with a fine tooth comb, but I might have missed things so… sorry if I did?


	3. Aqua

**A/N:** And yet another chapter! Once I get on a regular schedule with work, these updates will drop back to once a week, but for now… *grins*

…

Chapter Three: Aqua

"Ven!" both girls called after the blond as he ran, moving to follow them.

"I see you, too, wield a Keyblade," Maleficent, who had been momentarily forgotten, said, speaking of the sword in Aqua's hand. The female master stopped, turning to the dark fairy.

"How do you know about the Keyblade?" she demanded.

"A source of power… a key that opens the hearts of men, of entire worlds… and allows one to obtain anything and everything. Such a power I find most fascinating."

Corva slowed to a stop at those words, turning towards the women. The longing in Maleficent's voice was clear, and the angel grew worried for the Keyblade Master.

"So, Terra… he really…" Aqua began, sounding upset.

"Aqua, snap out of it!" Corva said, darting back over to the taller girl. "From what Ven and Master Eraqus told me about him… Terra just wouldn't do that, you know? Stop letting her mess with your head!" Aqua looked up at the angel, confusion and relief mingling on her face.

"Who… are you?" she asked.

"A most meddlesome girl. No matter, believe it or not, Terra did aid me. Now, it's your turn. Would you like to assist me as well?" Maleficent asked. Both girls turned to her.

"Never!" Aqua snarled, and both dropped into fighting stances.

"I see. Xehanort was right. You are a most stubborn girl," Maleficent said.

"Xehanort?" Corva asked in confusion.

"Master Xehanort? How do you—" Aqua began, her question nearly overlapping Corva's.

 _Oh, that's right! Xehanort is the Master who went missing. Aqua and Terra are supposed to be investigating that!_ Corva remembered.

"It seems you need time to consider my offer," Maleficent said, before turning a glare on the Angel. "And I need you out of the way. Fortunately, I have the perfect place," she added, raising her staff. The orb on the top flashed with a sickly green light, and Maleficent slammed it into the ground.

Darkness erupted from the floor at the girls' feet, and they dropped through the hole that suddenly opened up beneath them. Corva gasped in pain as her wings smacked into the edges of the hole, the left one hurting worse than the right.

…

The two of them landed in a dungeon. Aqua managed to stay on her feet, but Corva crumpled to her knees, gingerly holding a hand over the spot her left wing had recently been broken.

"Are you okay?" Aqua immediately asked, kneeling next to the Angel. She could see the way the girl was holding her wing, and gently drew her fingers over the area, feeling for any kind of injury.

"I'm fine. I just… I had broken this wing, and it healed only a little while ago. I hit it on the fall in," she explained, slowly stretching her wing to make sure she didn't re-break it. Thankfully, there was no sharp stab of crippling pain at the movement, so that was a good sign. Aqua watcher her worriedly, before finally noticing the emblem attached to Corva's belt.

"You know Master Eraqus… that's how you knew of Terra, Ven, and me," she realized. Corva nodded.

"Yeah…"

"Hello?"

Both girls quickly looked up at the sound of a man's voice, finally noticing the third occupant of the room: the man from the vision Corva and Ven had seen when they released Aurora's heart.

He was sitting on a bench against the wall, thick manacles around his wrists that were attached to the wall by long chains.

"Huh?" Aqua muttered.

"Who are you?" the man asked. The two moved a little closer to him.

"I'm Corva," the angel replied.

"And my name is Aqua," the master said. "It… looks like we were caught in a trap."

"But… why are you here?" Corva asked.

"To prevent me from breaking her evil curse," the man said with a scowl. "I was to meet the most beautiful girl at a cottage in the glen, but now my true love lies in an eternal slumber… and only I can break the spell," he explained.

"Aurora…" Corva muttered, thinking about the sleeping princess.

"You must really lover her," Aqua said.

"Is what you said true?" a voice suddenly said from behind. All three turned to the new comers.

"Flora, Fauna, Merryweather!" Corva gasped excitedly. "You followed us down here?"

"Yes, my dear. Now," Flora turned back to the man. "Did you truly mean what you said?" she asked.

"Yes. Maleficent told me," the man said.

"You know them?" Aqua asked Cova quietly. She nodded.

"Yes. They're good fairies, who helped me and Ven," Corva replied. Aqua nodded, looking back up at the women.

"Oh, Prince Phillip! It's you!" Flora gasped, before quickly fluttering over. She tapped the chains with her wand, and they immediately vanished, freeing the man.

"Now, Phillip, the road to true love may be barred by many more dangers which you alone will have to face," Flora said. Phillip nodded in determination.

"I'm going with you," Aqua announced. "There's something I need to know, and Maleficent has the answer."

"Yes, of course, dear. And you, Corva?" Flora turned to the last member of the group.

"I'm coming, too. I know I made a promise to Ven to watch over Terra, but… I want to help break Aurora's curse," she decided. All three fairies nodded.

"Alright then. Now, come along. We must hurry to Aurora," Flora declared, leading the way.

The group managed to make it through the castle with relative ease… until they reached the maze room. A raven was perched high up, close to the ceiling, when he spotted them and let out a warning cry.

The walls dropped, and a flood of Maleficent's men surged towards the group, their weapons at the ready.

Aqua readied Rainfell, while Corva summoned Holy Sword, and Prince Phillip raised his sword and shield.

The henchmen reached the three of them, and they went to town, taking out as many as they could as quickly as they could. Corva almost immediately learned to stay out of Aqua's way as she blasted through the ranks with spell after spell. She would have taken to the air, as the room was big enough, but the ache in her left wing prevented that, and she was stuck hacking and slashing while being ground-bound.

It took a while, but finally, they managed to clear out the room, and escape into the front courtyard of the castle.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though the front gates had been closed in an attempt to keep them from escaping.

"Aqua, we'll hold them off, and you hit the switches?" Corva suggested. The master looked back at Corva and nodded, before taking off towards one of the walls, planning on climbing up it to reach the switch at the top.

Unfortunately, the bow wielding men immediately took aim at her, forcing Corva to shoot forward and take them out.

"I can't climb this!" Aqua called out from against the wall.

"I got you!" Phillip shot forward, ramming his shield through the men, until he reached Aqua, taking her hand and tossing her up into the air. Aqua flipped forward, landing on the pathway, and made her way to the switch.

Meanwhile, Corva protected them from the henchmen that tried to attack, drawing all of their fire onto herself. Aqua hit the switch, opening the gate, allowing them to move to the outer courtyard, where they repeated the process and succeeded in opening the main gate, allowing the three of them to escape.

…

It was quiet as they made their way down the path, away from the castle and back towards the woods, so Aqua finally decided to ask about her odd companion.

"So, how do you know Master Eraqus?" she asked. Corva smiled sadly.

"I… lost my home to darkness," Corva started off carefully, mindful of Phillip and the fairies that travelled with them, and knowing they couldn't know of other worlds. "But, I managed to escape. Unfortunately, in my escape, I kind of… crashed," she admitted. "When I came too, Master Eraqus was watching over me. Apparently, in the crash, I had broken my wing. He set it, and let me stay with him to let it heal. He took care of me, and really… saved my life."

"When did this happen?" Aqua asked in surprised, while the fairies tutted softly among themselves, sympathetic to the Angel's plight.

"Just after the three of you left home. In fact… to pay him back, I was supposed to take Ven home, but once Ven found out that I had training as a Guardian Angel, he practically begged me to watch over Terra. He even made me promise…"

"Oh… so that's what he meant. But…" Aqua frowned thoughtfully. "Terra is pretty strong. Why would he feel the need to ask you to watch over him?"

"Ven said he thought Terra was in danger. That it was a feeling he had. But… after that outburst… I think it's more than that."

"Hmm…. I think so, too," Aqua admitted, worry only adding to her frown.

"So, after we're done helping Aurora, I'm gonna go find Terra. After all, I did promise," Corva said. Aqua fell quiet, nodding.

"Good luck. Apparently, Terra hasn't been easy to find," she sighed. Corva chuckled.

"Yeah, I've figured that one out…" she said, just as the two left the barren side of the world for the forest. Here, they were attacked by Unversed, but the two of them, with Phillip's help, made quick work of the monsters.

Finally, they made it to the bridge that lead to Aurora's castle, but the sky above it was dark and foreboding.

"We should hurry," Corva said.

"Right," Aqua agreed, and they increased their pace.

Before they made it halfway, the air cackled with magic, and thorns suddenly sprang up around the castle and bridge.

"What the-?" Corva gasped, before suddenly skidding to a stop with Aqua and Phillip, noticing green flames in the air in front of them. They burst skywards, and Maleficent stepped from them.

"Maleficent! What did Master Xehanort tell you?" Aqua demanded.

"Such a pity, child, that you don't have Terra's gift for obedience," Maleficent said.

"Stop dragging Terra's name through the mud!" Corva yelled.

"I am not," Maleficent said, glaring at the angel. "It was simply so easy for him."

"Terra would never do anything to help you!" Aqua snapped.

"Quite the contrary. He fully embraced the darkness within himself," the fairy said with a smirk.

"The… darkness?" Corva asked, her mind jumping to an image of the demons that had plagued her home. Eraqus had mentioned nothing of Terra holding darkness within himself.

"Stop lying!" Aqua yelled, though Corva could hear the doubt in her voice.

 _She knows exactly what Maleficent is talking about…_ Corva thought in dread.

Maleficent shook her head, crossing her arms in front of herself. "See for yourself—all the powers of hell!" she yelled, green fire exploding around her.

From those flames stepped a large black dragon, which almost immediately blew fire at them.

Corva instantly grabbed the other two and threw herself over the edge of the bridge, dragging them with her, and snapping her wings open to halt their fall.

"ARGH!" she cried, her wings pumping the air in an effort to keep the three of them up. Pain shot through her left wing, still bruised from where she banged it.

"There, Corva!" Aqua called, pointing to a ledge just under the bridge. The Angel angled her flight towards it, sighing as she landed.

"Now what?" Phillip asked, sounding breathless from the jump.

"I'll keep her busy while you two come up with a plan?" Corva offered.

"I guess that's the only option we got," Aqua said.

"Well… please hurry," Corva pleaded, before jumping off the ledge, snapping her wings open once more. Without the extra weight, she had an easier time flying, and her wing hurt less.

That didn't comfort her, though, when she noticed that Maleficent had taken to the air as well, and was searching for them.

"Oh for the love of—HEY! UGLY!" Corva yelled, waving her sword in the air to catch her attention.

" _YOU!"_ Maleficent yelled, before shooting flames at her.

"Oh, crap!" Corva gasped, closing her wings and dropping through the air. The flames missed her by mere inches, and Corva opened her wings once more, flapping them to stay in the air.

"Come catch me, you old witch! That is, if you can!" Corva yelled. Maleficent flapped her wings once—twice—and shot towards the angel, causing Corva to whip around and fly away as fast as she could. She weaved through the air and between the large thorns, performing crazy acrobatics, but Maleficent was always a wing length behind her (measuring by Corva's wings, not the dragon's.) Once or twice, Corva felt Maleficent snap at her heels, and other times, she had to dodge a barrage of green flames, but she always managed to stay one step ahead of her, even if she could feel the tips of her wings slapping into the thorn brambles, and she nearly crashed into the bigger ones more than once.

"CORVA! Bring her here!"

Corva looked towards the bridge. Phillip and Aqua were standing in the middle of the bridge, Aqua's Keyblade glowing with a bright light. Corva swiftly rounded once of the bigger thorn brambles, streaking towards the two of them.

"Now!" Phillip yelled, grabbing Aqua's free hand and throwing her into the air.

Time seemed to slow as Corva shot under Aqua, the tips of her shoes skimming the bridge's surface. Then the dragon shot under the Keyblade Master, and in that instant, Aqua dove, her light enclosed Keyblade slamming into the back of Maleficent's neck.

With a great crash, the dragon slammed into the bridge, and Aqua back flipped off of her. Maleficent, despite being grounded, wasn't to be beaten so easily. She used flames to separate the girls from Phillip and went after the prince.

"No!" Aqua called, while Corva watched in worry, too worn out from the chase to call out.

"All together, dears!"

The girls turned to see Flora, Fauna, and Marryweather point their wands at the prince. "Now sword of truth, fly swift and sure, that evil die, and good endure!" the three chanted, and Phillip's sword gleamed with a bright light. He looked at it, then turned to the dragon and threw it. The blade flew straight and true, slamming into Maleficent's heart. She screamed in pain, and faded from view.

As she vanished, so too did the thorns, until the castle was once again covered in light. Corva sighed in relief and slumped to the ground.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Aqua asked, kneeling next to her.

"Yeah," Corva panted with a grin. "Never better…"

"Heh, right. Come on," Aqua said, helping the tired angel back up. Corva groaned, until Aqua pressed a small green bottle into her hands. "Drink that. It'll make you feel better."

"Um, okay?" she said, opening the top of doing as she was told.

Warm strength immediately washed through her, chasing away the soreness in her wings and the exhaustion.

"Wow, what is this?" she asked.

"A potion. You should probably pick up a few," Aqua advised with a smile, following Phillip and the fairies towards the castle. Corva nodded slightly, following them as well.

Aqua, however, stopped when seeing an exhausted Maleficent limping away. She turned to Corva, meeting her eye, and the two girls turned, deciding to confront the fairy.

"It's the power of true love that defeated you," Aqua declared.

"I will not be defeated by something as insignificant as love," Maleficent snarled, her back to them.

"Yet… you've already lost. And by now, Phillip should be breaking that curse," Corva pointed out, before realizing something.

 _True love can break a curse? Heh. Perhaps… but with how he reacted, he didn't truly love me. Besides… that curse is gone now…_ she thought.

"Exactly. Corva's right," Aqua said, before shaking her head. "But you don't even know the first thing about it. You're too clouded by darkness to see that there's something greater." Aqua turned to the castle, and Corva looked up as well. Both knew the Prince would have reached the Princess's room by now, and perhaps was just getting ready to wake her up.

"Try all you want, but you'll never defeat a heart filled with light," Aqua declared.

"Perhaps—but remember one thing—" Maleficent snarled, turning to the two girls. "—as long as there is light, there will be darkness. And in time, many more will be drawn to it. Then they will all belong to me!"

"You're wrong," Corva said quietly as the woman vanished into green flames, laughing as she disappeared.

"Terra… you better stay strong for me," Aqua said. Corva placed a hand on the taller woman's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Aqua. I'll go find him now, and just as I promised Ven, I _will_ watch over him," Corva declared. Aqua turned to the girl, and smiled warmly.

"Thank you, Corva. I trust you," she said. Corva nodded and turned away from her, cloaking herself in light.

"Wish me luck!" she said brightly, before taking off into the air, quickly leaving Enchanted Dominion behind.

…

 **A/N:** And here we go, with the next chapter! There's just one more of the trio for Corva to meet, and I'm hoping the next chapter will be a bit longer.

Hope you guys enjoyed that game of air tag. That was not planned, and just kind of happened, heh.

By the way, do you think I'm adding/changing enough to make this _not_ a carbon copy of BBS? I just want to make sure… and if you have any advice, that'd be great!

Well, until next time!


	4. Terra

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm back! This was supposed to be worked on and posted last night, after work, but I got… a pretty bad shock at work last night, so all I really did was watch Netflix…

But now I'm okay, and ready to go! So, ONWARDS!

…

Chapter Four: Terra

It didn't take Corva long to find another world worth checking out after she left Enchanted Dominion. This one looked tiny, containing only a tower, but she could sense a strong light coming from it.

 _Maybe he's here?_ She thought to herself, before deciding to land.

As she was growing level with the highest window of the tower, a light shot towards her, coupled with surprised cries coming from it.

"Whoa!" she cried, twisting to the side to avoid it. She wasn't fast enough, however, and the light clipped her left wing, sending a little pain, and a whole lot of shock, through it.

"Agh!" she cried out, flapping her wing erratically. She dropped from the sky, more from the shock then the pain.

"I gotcha!" a voice called from below, and suddenly, she stopped falling. Strong arms wrapped around her, and she could feel the heartbeat of her savior against her check from where she leaned against his chest.

She slowly raised her eyes, only to meet the dark blue ones of the man holding her, framed by dark brown hair. He seemed just as surprised as she felt.

"Are you okay?" he asked, carefully placing her back on her feet.

"Uh, yes, thank you," she said.

"That's a relief. My name is Terra. Do you come from here?" he asked. Corva gasped.

"Terra?" she asked, wanting to be sure she heard right. She stepped back, looking over him, and noticed Eraqus's emblem on his belt.

"Yes… do you know of me?" Terra asked.

"Oh, uh, I'm a friend of Master Eraqus's," Corva said, turning slightly so that he could see the emblem on her own belt. "And, no, I'm not from here. I was actually, uh…" she trailed off, realizing he probably wouldn't appreciate her appointing herself as his Guardian Angel, on Ven's request. "Um, I was looking for you, to… help. You know, look into Xehanort's disappearance and the Unversed. As a favor to the Master." _Although, from what Maleficent said about Xehanort…_ she let the thought trail off.

"A favor?" Terra asked, turning towards the door of the tower. Corva followed him, explaining how Eraqus saved her life as they climbed the stairs, just as she had for Ven and Aqua.

The two climbed quickly, talking about what Terra had found so far (which wasn't a lot), while they looked for the inhabitants of the tower.

There didn't seem to be any, however, and the two eventually reached the top, where a thick door sat.

"Should we knock?" Corva asked. Terra didn't answer as he pushed open the door. Corva stepped in behind him, and he pushed the door shut before turning to face the room, standing rim-rod straight.

"Master Yen Sid," he said respectfully. Corva quickly glanced at him, before following his example, folding her wings neatly against her back and standing up straight.

The sole occupant of the room was an old man, who was standing with his back to the door, looking out one of the star shaped windows. He turned towards the two of them.

"My name is Terra, and this is Corva," Terra said. The old man looked between the two of them.

"Yes. Eraqus told me much about the two of you. Terra, I have been expecting. But you, Corva, are welcome all the same," the old man said, before walking over to his chair, sitting. "It is the Unversed."

"Yes, Master Yen Sid," Terra said, moving closer to the desk. Corva stayed where she was, unsure of what to do with herself. "I thought it best to seek the counsel of one wiser than myself."

"I am no longer a Master. I doffed that mantle," Yen Sid said.

"But sir, wasn't that your pupil I passed on the way in? He had a Keyblade," Terra asked.

"Do you mean the one who crashed into me?" Corva asked, finally stepping forward. Terra glanced at her with a nod, and a look of amusement passed over Yen Sid's face. He then grew serious once more.

"You refer to Mickey. He, too, sought guidance here. As a king, he is good and kind. But the weight of a crown has not cured him of impetuousness. He has left with an object whose power he does not understand, thus his lack of control when meeting you in the air," Yen Sid said, glancing over at Corva. He shook his head. "Mickey imagines my Star Shard will be of help in his current quest. And, like you, Terra, he is eager to use his Keyblade to set things right."

 _But isn't that the purpose of the Keyblade?_ Corva wondered. _That's how Eraqus seemed to feel, at least…_

"I'm not sure I even understand what's wrong," Terra admitted. "Master Xehanort is missing… and now I've learned there's a masked boy who is controlling those Unversed on the loose."

"A… masked boy?" Corva asked. Terra nodded.

"To arrive at the truth, perhaps you should approach things differently—first, consider them one and the same problem," Yen Sid advised.

"Master Xehanort and the Unversed are connected," Corva said. _That would explain what Maleficent said…_

"But… how?" Terra wondered. Corva glanced over at the young man, seeing the confusion on his face.

Yen Sid muttered something to himself that neither heard, before looking back up at the two of them. "Find Xehanort, Terra. That is where you should begin," he told the boy.

Terra nodded. "Yes, sir," he said.

"Corva will be a great help to you and your friends," the old wizard added.

"Yes," Corva said with a nod. The wizard nodded to them once more, dismissing them, and the two turned towards the door.

"Ah, Corva? Hold a moment," he called. Both Corva and Terra stopped, turning to look at Yen Sid again. The wizard nodded at Terra. "She will join you momentarily, Terra. I wish to discuss something with her in private."

"Oh, okay," Terra said, stepping out. The two waited a moment, before Corva turned to Yen Sid.

"I am sorry about Paradise, my dear," the wizard began. Corva jumped slightly.

"How-?" she started, only for Yen Sid to hold a hand up, cutting her question off.

"Paradise was a source of both strong light and strong darkness, constantly at battle with each other, but in balance. I found it an interesting struggle, and kept an eye on that world. Regrettably, I was unable to act quick enough to prevent it from slipping into darkness," Yen Sid answered. "Due to my studies, though, I have discovered some of the inner workings of the magic Guardian Angels use to bind themselves to their charges. I had once thought it impossible for an Angel to be bound to more than one charge, yet you are bound to three."

"I… I am?" Corva gasped in surprise. Yen Sid nodded, sitting back.

"Did you, perhaps, promise Eraqus that you would protect his students?" Yen Sid asked. Corva thought back, before shaking her head.

"Only Ventus," she said. "But… I promised Ven and Aqua that I would protect Terra…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "But I can't be bound to them. There was no ritual, and… it's impossible to be bound to more than one."

"Perhaps you have a much stronger or bigger heart than most Angels from your world. Or, perhaps those black wings stand for something special that allows you to take on more than one," Yen Sid said, before shaking his head. "But the ritual is unneeded. The way the binding magic works is simply by a promise. Your angelic ancestors just had a flare for the dramatic, I'd imagine," Yen Sid explained. Corva was silent for a moment, absorbing this information. Then, she realized something.

"You… you said three. But… I never promised I'd protect Aqua. So that's Ventus, Terra… and who else?" she asked, but Yen Sid shook his head.

"I do not know," he replied. Corva nodded in understanding, but Yen Sid frowned.

"Be warned, Corva. If one of those bonds, or all of them, are broken, it will have an adverse effect on you as well. Be wary of how many of these bonds you make."

"Yes, Master Yen Sid. Thank you," Corva said, bowing to the wizard, before leaving. Terra had been waiting at the base of the steps, leaning against the wall.

"What was that all about?" he asked as Corva met up with him.

"He just wanted to apologize about my world. Apparently, he'd been studying the magic from it…"

"But couldn't save it. Man… I'm sorry you had to go through that," Terra said, pushing off the wall and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Corva shrugged with a tiny smile.

"It's alright. Things happen," she said. Terra gave her shoulder a squeeze and nodded. He then dropped his hand, and the two stepped outside. Terra summoned his armor and glider, and Corva swept her wings out, cloaking herself in light. The two took off, leaving that world behind.

 _Besides… I'm actually kind of happy to be off of Paradise. Does that… make me a bad person?_ Corva wondered.

…

The two of them flew quickly through the Lanes In Between, making good time towards their next world, when Terra suddenly gasped, his head snapping up. "Master Xehanort!" he said.

"Terra?" Corva called, wondering if he was okay.

Terra suddenly leaned low over his glider, pushing it faster, and it was all Corva could do to keep up.

"Terra!?" she called. The young man glanced over his shoulder.

"I think I know where Master Xehanort is. Hurry!" he called back to her.

Suddenly, the two came up on a large world that seemed to be covered with sand.

"Here?"

"Yeah," Terra said, moving closer to skim just over the surface. Corva followed him, the winds buffeting her from all sides.

Terra, who had been looking around, gasped softly.

"Master Xehanort. There!" he called to Corva, pointing to an old, bald man who was watching the two of them.

They changed their flight paths to land in front of the old man, and in a flash of light, Terra's glider and armor was gone. Corva folded her wings neatly behind her back.

"I have been to other worlds. I know all about the things you've done," Terra began accusingly. He then shook his head. "I just… don't understand why," he admitted. Xehanort frowned slightly, his yellow eyes flickering to Corva, then back to Terra, taking on a pained expression. He finally sighed, looking down.

"Someone had to safeguard the light… from the demon I unleashed," Xehanort said, and Corva flinched at the word, thinking back to the dark beasts that used to prowl Paradise.

 _I hope that's just an expression, and not a literal demon…_ she thought to herself.

"You must know about the boy by now, the one in the mask. His name is Vanitas. A creature of pure darkness. One of my making."

 _M-maybe that wasn't an expression then…_

"Vanitas… are you telling me he came from you?" Terra demanded.

"He came from Ventus," Xehanort sighed.

" _What!?"_ Corva gasped, trying to compare the description of Vanitas to the happy, cheerful boy she had met in Enchanted Dominion.

" _Ventus_!?" Terra was having the same reaction.

Xehanort nodded. "Yes. Vanitas is the darkness that was inside your friend." Terra and Corva gasped. "It was an accident, while he was training with me," Xehanort quickly continued, before glancing at Corva. "He used to be my apprentice, you see. Until this accident. Ventus, he… succumbed to darkness, and there was but one way to save him—strip that part of him away. And thus, Vanitas was made. In the process, I damaged Ventus's heart in the most horrific way. So, I did what I felt was right, and left him with Eraqus." He turned away from the two of them, shaking his head. Terra was staring at the ground, hanging on to the man's every word, while Corva frowned, crossing her arms.

 _Something just… doesn't sound right with this story._

"I knew the boy could not stay with me, the man who did him such grievous harm."

"Master Xehanort…" Terra began, his tone soft, almost comforting. It set Corva's teeth on edge to think Terra would so readily believe this story.

Terra walked towards the man, and Corva's feathers began to rise, making her wings twice their normal size, as she became agitated. "Ventus has gotten a lot better since then," Terra said, stopping just behind the man. "You shouldn't blame yourself for trying to save him."

"Well… thank you, lad," Xehanort said in a tired voice. "You know how to put an old man's heart at ease.

Terra nodded, before closing his eyes, smiling to himself. Corva's feathers fluffed up more, and she gritted her teeth as Xehanort glanced over his shoulder and at her.

There was just… something about this man that rubbed her the wrong way.

"Master… why is Vanitas still free?" Terra suddenly asked, causing both Corva and Xehanort to jump slightly. Xehanort turned to face him.

"Ah, yes. Well, I did my best to contain him the moment he emerged, but…"

"He managed to escape," Terra said, finishing the statement, and Xehanort nodded. He walked towards the two.

"Vanitas uses the Keyblade to sow seeds of darkness. And now, you see—the worlds teem with his ghastly underlings. Your world, my dear," he turned to Corva, who narrowed her eyes slightly. "I imagine it was over run, which is why you now find yourself here, rather than there."

Corva simply frowned, not answering one way or another.

"Vanitas has no control over the darkness in his heart. The Keyblade is not his to bear. He's an abomination beyond hope of salvation." He looked up at the two of them. "Lend me your strength, Terra, and that of yours as well," he added, looking at Corva. He reached a hand out pleadingly to them. "Right this wrong that I have wrought."

"But… we have no idea where to find him," Terra said thoughtfully.

 _I believe Vanitas needs to be stopped, but… I don't understand Xehanort's game. And Terra's falling right into it. Should I say something to him? Then again… he'd probably just argue with me. After all, he's known the man a lot longer than I have…_

"What I can tell you about Vanitas amounts to this—his darkness is drawn to the light which he seeks to disrupt… and then destroy," Xehanort said.

"Ven…" Corva breathed, her eyes widening. Terra nor Xehanort seemed to hear her.

"It stands to reason that he will strike next in the city of light, Radiant Garden," Xehanort said.

"Then we should go there, too," Corva said. Terra nodded to her, before looking up at the man.

"Don't worry, Master. We'll take care of Vanitas."

…

The two of them left that barren world not too long after that, and while Corva wasn't happy about helping Xehanort, even she had to admit that they had to take Vanitas down.

"Are you okay?" Terra asked as the two of them flew through the Lanes.

"Yeah, why?" Corva asked, her voice a little sharper then she meant it to be.

"Well, that scowl hasn't left you face since we found Master Xehanort, for one… and you just kinda snapped at me," Terra pointed out. Corva sighed, glancing at him.

"I'm just… worried."

"About Ven? Yeah, same here. But we'll defeat Vanitas, no worries," Terra said, and although she couldn't see his grin because of the face mask on his armor, she could hear it in his voice. Corva sighed, but smiled back.

"Yeah, okay," she said, just as they reached their next destination: Radiant Garden.

…

The two of them slowly walked through the city, this world a lot bigger than the rest Corva's been to since Paradise was lost to the darkness.

"It's beautiful here," Corva sighed as they reached the main square, studying the pattern on the ground in the center, and the flower patches of different colors that surrounded it.

"Yeah, but it's also quiet. Where is everyone?" Terra replied, still looking around.

"Well, there's someone there, walking around," Corva replied, pointing to an older gentleman. "Wait…" On closer look… "Is that a duck?"

"Huh?" Terra asked, as though he saw nothing odd with this. He took a step forward, peering at the old man, when a shadow suddenly burst from the ground at his feet, causing him to stumble back. "Whoa!"

"Unversed!" Corva gasped, summoning Holy Sword. Terra nodded, summoning his own Keyblade, Earthshaker.

"This could only mean Master Xehanort was right," he replied.

Corva shook her head. "Worry about that later! Right now, we need to take 'em out!"

"Right!" Terra nodded, lunging forward.

Corva took note of his fighting style—it was slower than Ven's or Aqua's, but his strikes packed a lot more power.

"Whoa…" she muttered, before pumping her wings, launching herself into the air. Flying Unversed shot towards her, bent on taking her down, but she managed to keep her sword between herself and them.

Meanwhile, Terra went to town on the grounded Unversed.

After a while, the Unversed finally stopped appearing. Corva let out a deep sigh and glided down, landing next to Terra.

"What's Master Xehanort doing here?" the man asked. Corva glanced up at him, then followed his gaze to where the man was, walking away from him.

"I… I'm not sure…" Corva said.

"Hm… maybe he found something out?" Terra suggested.

"We should follow him to see," Corva said brightly. Terra nodded in agreement, and the two followed after the man.

From the main square, the two of them entered a small neighborhood like area. They froze in their tracks, however, when an old man suddenly appeared _out of thin air_ in front of them, chuckling to himself.

"Oh, why can't I ever seem to remember this address exactly?" the man muttered to himself, walking towards a door.

"That was… unsettling. I thought he was an Unversed for a moment," Corva muttered.

"Glad you didn't attack, then," Terra replied. "Hm?" he suddenly spotted a book that laid on the ground, in the exact spot the man had appeared. He shrugged and walked over, picking up the book, then walking over to the door the man had disappeared behind. Corva shrugged, following after him as he entered the house.

"Excuse me, Your Elderness," Terra said politely, walking over to the man.

"Huh?" the man turned to the two of them, seeming surprised.

"I believe you dropped this book," Terra said, holding the old book out to the man. Corva leaned forward slightly, glimpsing the title.

 _Winnie the Pooh._

"Did I?" the man asked, stepping forward to take it. Corva looked back up at him.

"It was laying on the ground, where you appeared, outside," she said.

He nodded, taking the book and turning it this way and that, before shrugging, putting it on a table and crossing his arms. "I'm very sad to say this isn't one of mine…" the man said, sounding very disappointed. "But what a remarkable book it is," he added with fascination.

"This unassuming volume seems to have the unusual effect of awakening one's innermost abilities, though it seems only to work for certain people…" the wizard explained.

"A book that makes people stronger?" Terra asked thoughtfully.

"That sounds really cool," Corva said. The man looked at her, and frowned slightly.

"I'm sorry to say, my dear, but you don't seem to be one of the people this book will work for. You, however…" he turned back to Terra, studying the young man thoughtfully. Corva frowned slightly at that, and stuck her tongue out at Terra, who rolled his eyes at her. He then turned to the man again.

"If it's all right, You Elderness, might I have a closer look?" he asked.

 _Big surprise there,_ Corva thought, trying to contain her smile.

"The name is Merlin! I'm a powerful wizard, and I'll have you know a lot of wisdom comes with age," the man said, sounding a little ticked. Corva snorted at that, before patting Terra's arm.

"Don't mind him, he meant no disrespect. He's just a little dense," Corva said with amusement.

"Hey!" Terra muttered.

"His name is Terra, and I'm Corva. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too, dear," Merlin said, sounding calmer. He then glanced back at the book. "Anyway, as I said, the book is not mine. But I'd be happy to keep it here for you."

"Thank you, Merlin," Terra said with a smile. He picked up the book, quickly reading through it. Corva hopped up and down at his shoulder, and frowned.

"The pages are blank…" she muttered.

"Not for me," Terra replied, moving a little away from the Angel. He finished reading it with a nod, closed it, and put it back down.

"Thank you again," he said, nodding to the wizard. He then wrapped an arm around Corva's shoulders, steering her out of the house.

"Bye, Merlin!" Corva called. The wizard waved at them, until the door closed. The Angel then looked up at Terra.

"So… do you just not know how to knock?" she asked.

"Huh?" Terra asked, dropping his arm.

"First Master Yen Sid's, then Merlin's… both times, you've walked in without knocking," she pointed out.

"I… uh…" Terra rubbed the back of his head, and Corva giggled.

"Forget it. Do you feel any stronger?" she asked.

"Now that you mention it, a little," Terra replied with a grin.

"Good! Now come on, let's keep going!"

"Right," Terra said with a smile.

Before they could even take a step forward, a large Unversed, red and white in color, floated past them.

"What the!?" Corva gasped.

"Let's follow it!" Terra yelled, running after it.

"Right!" Corva called, following after him.

As they ran from that area, a white feather drifted to the ground, unnoticed by either of them.

…

From the front of Merlin's house, they entered a large area full of fountains that towered over their heads.

"Whoa!" Corva muttered, running forward to study the closest one.

"Corva, down!" Terra yelled. Corva hit the ground, and felt something slash through the air above her head. Dark purple dust rained down around her, and she realized what must have happened.

An Unversed tried to attack her from behind, and Terra took it out. She turned towards the man.

"Thanks," she said, summoning Holy Sword and helping him fend of other Unversed.

From the fountains, they entered a semi underground waterway, where they were forced to fight more Unversed.

"We're going to lose the big one, at this rate," Corva grumbled.

"Yeah, but we can't let these small ones keep running around, either," Terra said.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed, launching into the air to take out the flying Unversed that stayed out of Terra's range.

It was while she was in the air, taking out the last of the flying Unversed, that she saw it. This part of the water way was over the city, and a few blocks to the north, flying over the roofs of the city…

"Terra, I need to go!" Corva called, urgency in her voice. "Will you be okay without me?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. What's wrong?" Terra asked, taken off guard.

"No time to explain!" she called, before turning towards the north, flying as fast as she could.

"Please… please don't let me be too late," she whispered to herself as she flew.

…

 **A/N:** What could have been so important to pull Corva away like that? You'll see next time!


	5. Darkness

**A/N:** Alrighty, guys! We are at the halfway point! Yep, this story is only ten chapters long. Don't worry, though, later stories in the Wings of Light series will be longer! (at this point, it looks like WoLII/KH2 will be the longest, at 23 chapters…).

Also, this chapter has a **TISSUE WARNING.** I was crying as I wrote it, so…

…

Chapter Five: Darkness

As Corva and Terra chased left from in front of Merlin's house, chasing after the large red and white Unversed, a lone white feather drifted to the ground.

A figure in a mask stepped from the shadows and walked over to the feather, picking it up. He looked up, and smirked.

"Interesting…"

…

Corva flew as hard and fast as she could, until finally, she reached the fight she had seen from the waterway.

Three large, flying Unversed were in a circle, surrounding their victim. The Unversed closest to Corva raised its claw, ready to strike. Corva drew her sword back, and thrusted it forward, punching it through the Unversed's back. The point blossomed from the Unversed's chest, stopping less than an inch from the victim's face.

"This is completely unfair. Three against one? Whose idea was that?" Corva growled, flaring her wings. "Then again, you things don't even have minds, do you? Which means it was Vanitas…" Corva turned her attention away from the impaled Unversed to the man she had just saved.

"Corva!?" the man gasped incredulously.

"Olor! Leave these Unversed to me. Get yourself to safety!" she yelled, wrenching the impaled Unversed aside.

"O-okay!" Olor said, diving though the gap and snapping his wings open. There was a jagged gash along the right one, and his flight was anything but steady, but he still managed to get away, allowing Corva to quickly take the Unversed down.

"That was the last one," Corva panted, landing on one of the roofs as the last Unversed faded. She then took a deep breath and took into the air once more.

…

When she found Olor, he was sitting on a roof only a few blocks over from where the fight had been, carefully cleaning the cut and straightening the feathers around it. His head snapped up as she landed.

"Corva! You're okay!" he gasped in relief, standing and coming over, hugging her. Corva stiffened, surprised at the action.

"Olor, are you feeling okay?" she asked, putting her hands on his shoulders, and gently pushing him back. The white Angel nodded, but Corva could see the deep sadness in his dark eyes.

Then she remembered: he had a good life on Paradise. His father had been one of the three Diviners, and his charge had been a pretty important human – the daughter of the Humans' leader. He hadn't been living his life in a self-imposed exile, cursed for failing against impossible odds. So the loss of Paradise probably hit him a lot harder than it had hit her…

Then she looked around, and realized there was a small ramshackle shelter on the roof, and Olor was by himself.

"What happened? Am I the first from Paradise you've see?" Corva asked. Olor nodded.

"Yes…It… that night, it all happened so fast. And… my charge… I lost her," Olor sighed, hanging his head. "This… this ache… the failure… I had no idea that's what you felt that night. I… I know now how you felt," he sighed.

Corva went rigid, her feathers bristling.

"You… know how I felt?" Corva asked lowly. Olor quickly looked up at her.

He recognized that tone.

"Yes. There was an ache in my heart," Corva said, placing a hand on her chest. "The failure was so much to take. And my sadness at seeing Michael taken…" she shook her head, her eyes closed for a moment.

"But then…" her voice was dangerously low again, and her eyes snapped open, sharpening into a glare aimed directly at him. "Then, the man who was supposed to be my _best friend_ turned his back on me. He didn't speak up once. I lived an entire year, _alone._ I was around my people. My parents were a simple flight away, _but they wanted nothing to do with me_. No, Olor, you don't have a damn clue about how I felt."

"You're wrong, I feel alone—" Olor began, only to cut off as Corva let out a bitter laugh.

" _Alone?_ That's all you feel? Your situation is _completely different._ You don't have the _temptation_ that I had to live with for months. You don't have the _ridicule_ I faced. The feeling that everyone you once knew and were friends wished you were _dead_ just so that they wouldn't accidently come into contact with you, and die from the curse. And honestly? The worse thing I faced, Olor? _Betrayal_. The one person I thought would stand up for me, the one person who I knew loved me, despite my wing color… _betrayed me._ You loved me even more then my own parents, and yet you turned your back on me when I needed you most."

"Corva—" Olor reached for the girl, who stepped back.

" _No,"_ she snarled, and Olor stopped. "No. Just… stop. I paid back my debt for you saving my life that night, but this is it. I… I can't even stand to look at you," she growled, before spinning on her heel and taking off. Her vision blurred, and it took her a minute to realize the reason behind it.

Tears.

She furiously scrubbed the back of her hand across her eyes and pumped her wings.

 _I need to find Terra again. I shouldn't have let him face that large Unversed alone…_ she thought to herself.

…

"Corva, wait!" Olor called, watching the girl fly away. He slowly dropped his arm, hanging his head.

"She's right…" he muttered to himself, tears filling his own eyes. "God, I was so _stupid!"_

"That's how it seems," a voice suddenly said from behind. Olor spun around, and gasped. Leaning against a chimney was a boy, no taller than himself, wearing a reflective mask. He held a white feather between his fingers, lazily twirling it. "Honestly, if all that was true, it seems she has every right to hate you," the figure said.

Coldness washed over Olor, mixed with the pain of his bond with his charge breaking, and the sting of Corva's words.

"Who… are you?" he asked cautiously.

"No one important," the boy said with a shrug. He then glanced sideways at Olor. "Are you lonely?"

"Yes," Olor sighed, looking down. The boy nodded, pushing off the chimney and holding his free hand out to the angel.

"Well, then, let's see if we can't change that."

…

Relief washed over Corva as she found not just Terra, but Aqua and Ventus as well. "Thank goodness," she whispered to herself, landing not too far from them. She was feeling drained from her argument with Olor, but was happy to find her three friends okay, and together.

Coldness washed over her at the words Aqua directed towards Terra, though.

"You shouldn't put yourself so close to the darkness."

Terra's shoulders tensed, and Corva bit her lip in worry, wondering what she just missed.

"Listen to yourself, Aqua! Terra would never—" Ven started, only to be cut off by Terra.

"You mean you've been spying on me?" Terra demanded. "Is that what he said to do? The Master's orders?"

 _No… Master Eraqus wouldn't do that… would he?_ Corva thought, her eyes widening.

"He was only—" Aqua began, before cutting herself off. A large ball of ice dropped into Corva's stomach.

"No…" she whispered. _But… why would the Master do that? He said Terra was like a son to him…_

"Aqua…" Ven sighed, sounding disappointed himself.

"I get it," Terra said lowly, turning away from them, and walking away.

"Terra!" Ven called, moving to follow.

"Just stay put!" Terra yelled, causing both of the younger teens to jump. "I'm on my own now, all right?" he snapped, before walking again.

"Terra, please! Listen!" Aqua called after him. "The Master has no reason to distrust you, really! He was just worried."

Terra didn't look back once as he left the area. Corva closed her eyes for a moment, upset. She frowned, and determination took over, drowning the sadness. Looking up, she took off after him, and caught up with him in the Underground Waterway.

"Master Xehanort is the only one I can still count on," Terra said to himself, just as Corva reached him.

"Bull," she snarled, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around. Terra glared at her.

"Oh? Didn't the Master ask you to spy on me, too?" he demanded.

"No, he didn't. You know what he _did_ ask me to do? He asked me to bring Ventus home. _Ventus_ , who followed you to try to warn you of god knows what because he thought you were in danger and was scared out of his mind asked me to look after you. And you know what? I did it because I became Ven's friend, and I'm here now because I'm _your_ friend, and I've already lost one friend today. I don't want to make that two or three," she vented. Terra's face softened, and he reached forward, wiping at the tears that had begun to run down her face.

"I just… with Aqua _spying_ on me…" Terra muttered.

"I don't know what Aqua's deal is. But don't put me and Ven in the same category. Because we weren't spying on you," Corva snapped. Terra nodded, wrapping an arm around her comfortingly.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry."

Corva nodded. "So am I," she said, walking with him and wiping the tears from her face. The two were quiet for a moment.

"So… why did you have to fly off earlier?" he finally asked.

"Oh. I—"

"You must be Terra," an unfamiliar voice said, causing the two to turn. "And… gosh, I don't know your name." A man stepped from the shadows with a smirk. He had dark, shoulder length hair that was slicked back, and was wearing some kind of uniform. His brown eyes gleamed maliciously as he watched the two of them.

"It's that old coot—he won't stop asking for you," he said, pointing at Terra. "I came all the way out here to get you, just so he'd clam up."

"What do you mean?" Terra demanded. Corva frowned, watching the man's movements closely. He wasn't holding a weapon, but Corva knew that there was a chance he could summon one at a moment's notice, just like her and Terra could.

"Ha! Do I have to spell it out?" the man snorted. "Xehanort, whatever he's called. You know, my prisoner," the man said. Corva stiffened at that, her feathers bristling. She suspected Xehanort, that much was true, but if the old man was being held prisoner by this guy… she looked towards Terra, wondering his take on this.

"Ha. You're apparently not a very good liar," Terra said, dropping his arm from around Corva and stepping forward, not at all worried. "Master Xehanort would never let himself be caught by a thug like you."

"As if! I've got the old coot at my mercy, see for yourself," the man challenged with a smirk. "I'm holding him underneath the Outer Gardens. Better show up before I lose my patience. I doubt he'll mind if you bring the birdy along, too."

"Hey, who are you calling 'birdy'?" Corva snapped. The man laughed as he walked away, not answering.

Terra frowned thoughtfully once the man was gone, before turning to Corva.

"Master Xehanort is powerful, but… well, what do you think?" he asked.

"I… I'm not sure this is a bluff. After all, how else would he know Master Xehanort's name? Or yours, for that matter," she pointed out. Terra nodded thoughtfully.

"There's just… no way this can be true… but you make really valid points. I guess there's no harm in looking."

"True," Corva nodded, and the two walked forward, making their way to the Outer Gardens.

"So… do you want to talk about earlier? You mentioned losing a friend…" Terra asked as they made their way through the courtyard with the fountains.

"Oh. I just… I saw someone who used to be my friend from Paradise, my home world, and saved him from some Unversed. Then we… got into an argument. It's done now, he and I are no longer friends," Corva said.

"I'm sorry," Terra said softly as they entered the square in front of Merlin's house.

"Don't be. What we fought over happened a year ago. We just… never talked about it until today," Corva said with a note of finality.

"Oh. Um, alright," Terra said, falling quiet. Unversed attacked them as they entered the Main Square, and they were forced to take them out before moving on.

The Outer Gardens was beautiful. There was a lot of water and, of course, flowers and plants. The view from the platform went far, with mountains dotting the horizon, black against a pinkish-orange sky.

"Wow…" Corva muttered.

"Seriously. But… how do we get under them?" he asked. Corva looked around, before pointing at a structure in the middle of the flowers.

"It looks like there's a way under here," she said. Terra looked towards where she was pointing, and nodded, leading the way.

"Ugh, I hate going underground," Corva muttered as they descended the steps. Terra chuckled softly.

"Oh, I'm sure," he replied, before stepping from the narrow stairs and letting out a low whistle. "I don't think you'll mind this though," he called back to her. Corva stepped out of the staircase as well, and her jaw dropped.

The space they were in was _enormous_ , with only a railed in platform in the middle. It almost looked like the ground under the Outer Gardens, which was huge, was hollow as well.

"Wow…" she muttered, walking forward with Terra. The two of them looked around as they reached the opposite edge of the platform. Corva leaned over it, checking to see how high up they were, when Terra suddenly gasped, spinning around. Corva turned, following his gaze, and gasped as well.

Master Xehanort was here, chained to a pillar on a platform high above their's.

"Master Xehanort!" Terra called, and the old man slowly lifted his head to look at them.

"The old coot certainly knows how to take punishment." Terra and Corva quickly turned to see the man from earlier standing near the door, walking towards them. "Just like I know how to deal it out," he added.

"Corva," Terra muttered. The Angel nodded, stepping back, while Terra turned a glare on the man. "You monster! What are you after?" he demanded, summoning his Keyblade and slowly moving away from Corva, circling along the platform.

"That thing right there. It's called a Keyblade, isn't it?" the man said, pointing to Terra's weapon. Corva frowned, spotting an arrow gun in the man's free hand.

 _This will be tricky…_ she thought, trying to stay patient.

"Yep, it seems like these days everybody's got one of those… even grandpa there." He glanced back at where the old man was chained up.

 _Now!_ Corva thought, jumping up and backwards, over the railing of the platform. She threw open her wings, catching the air, and flapping slightly, keeping herself in one spot below the platform, hidden.

"When I nabbed him, he told me all about it—what a weapon like that can do. How could I not want one?" the man asked. Corva frowned.

 _Eraqus said the Keyblades were supposed to be secret… yet this is at least the second person Xehanort has told. What's going on here?_ She wondered.

"You'll find they're picky about their owners," Terra called.

"Ha. If I heard the old guy right, you're what they call Keyblade Master material. Heh. So if I defeat you, that makes me the real keyslinger, if you catch my drift. Not the most polite way to go about it… but what can you do?"

"Ha!" Terra yelled, and Corva nodded, hearing his footsteps. _Once these two start fighting, I'll fly up there and—_

"Ah-ah, one more step and the coot goes boom," the man threatened, and Corva's wings nearly went limp with fear.

 _What!?_ She thought, managing to keep herself in the air.

"You think I'm gonna fight fair? As if! That key's too powerful for us to go mano a mano," the man said.

 _Could I make it up there now to free him? Or would the guy see me? Damn it, I need him distracted before I can save Xehanort!_ Corva thought angrily.

That's when she heard the first shot, and Terra cry out.

"No!" Corva gasped, pumping her wings and shooting back up. She landed on the platform in front of Terra, her wings flared, and used her light to create a barrier between herself and the man.

"Corva, what are you doing?" Terra gasped.

"My job!" Corva snapped, blocking another round of bullets.

"No fair. This was supposed to be a one on one fight," the man said, suddenly switching targets. There was a shot, and before Corva could react, fire raced through her wing. She cried out, dropping to the ground and pulling her wings around her. A bullet had only grazed the elbow joint of her left wing, but it hurt.

"Corva!" Terra called. The man shot a few more time, and Terra blocked. The force of it threw him back, though.

"Hmph. For a Keyblade Master, you're not very—what's the word?—good," the man taunted. Terra grunted, pushing himself up.

"Corva?" he muttered.

"I'm okay," the angel said, pulling a potion out from her pocket. "You?"

"Yeah. I just…" Terra trailed off, glaring at the man.

"What are you doing, Terra? Fight!" Xehanort suddenly yelled. Corva shuddered at the warmth that spread through her body from the potion, healing her wing, and looked up at the Master.

"But Master, you'll—" Terra began.

"Never mind me! You must fight! You can't let this ruffian win!" the old man yelled. "Think of your Master, Eraqus—the shame he and your fellow pupils would be forced to bear! And the failure that poor angel would have to carry for the rest of her life if you lost!" Terra turned his eyes from the old Master to Corva, who was still crouched on the ground in front of him. Corva closed her eyes.

She didn't want to admit the old man was right.

"Corva?" Terra asked.

"Later. I'll explain later," she said, looking back at him.

"Use the Keyblade!" Xehanort demanded.

"Well? What are we gonna do?" Corva asked.

A determined look crossed Terra's face, and he pushed himself up.

"Stick to the original plan. You up for it?" he asked.

"Ready when you are."

"Pfft, so much for the bluff," the man said mockingly.

"Corva?" Terra said, his voice sounding more like a growl.

"Hm?"

"Go. Now!" Terra rushed forward. Corva snapped her wings open, and shot into the air.

But the man was ready for them. He warped away to a platform in between Terra's and where Xehanort was being kept, switching his guns into sniper mode.

"Corva, watch out!" Terra yelled.

"I see him!" Corva replied, moving her goggles from the top of her head to over her eyes. _Time for some trick flying!_

The first shot was predictable enough – right for her head. Corve wrapped her wings around her body, plummeting towards the ground, before snapping them open again. The next shot flew just under her feet, since the man had been aiming for where he thought she'd fall. She twirled through the air in an intricate dance, dodging each shot and making her movements impossible to predict, until the man seemed to get bored, and warped back to the platform Terra was on.

As soon as he stopped shooting at her, Corva shot up and landed on the platform Xehanort was on.

"Thank you for coming and rescuing this old man," Xehanort said.

"Yeah," Corva muttered, quickly moving to the back, where she found a heavy duty padlock, holding the chains closed. "Damn," she muttered.

"What is it?" Xehanort asked.

"I don't have a key to unlock this, and I have no idea how to pick locks," Corva admitted, leaning around to look at the Master.

"Ah. And, you are no Keyblade wielder," he sighed, his fingers twitching.

"No, I'm not. But I'll think of something," she promised, disappearing behind the pillar once more. A cold feeling began to stir in her chest, but she ignored it.

"Ah!" Corva gasped in realization, summoning Holy Sword. She swung it forward, slamming it into the chains and padlock.

One of the links broke.

"Once more!" she muttered, doing it again. The chains broke, and she came around the pillar.

"There we—" she cut off with a gasp as she looked down to where Terra was fighting the man. The man was on his knees, panting, while Terra was holding his Keyblade up.

Darkness surrounded Terra, and with an angry yell, he swung the blade forward. A blast of darkness shot from it, slamming into the man's face and throwing him back. Corva gasped, covering her mouth.

"No…" she muttered.

The man, holding his eye, looked up just in time for another blast of darkness to slam into his face, causing him to cry out in pain. Terra raised his Keyblade a third time.

"Terra, _STOP!"_ Corva yelled, diving off the platform. She threw herself in between Terra and the man, catching Terra's arm before he could swing the blade again. "Please, just stop," she begged. The anger drained from Terra's face as the other man quickly jumped to his feet, taking off.

"Corva?" Terra asked.

"It's over. It's all over. Please… please, just stop," she begged. The darkness faded from around Terra, and he stared at her face. He then looked at his Keyblade, and shock and dread took over his expression. He turned back to the angel.

"Corva, I—"

"Well done, Terra. You, too, Corva," Xehanort said. Corva quickly turned to see the old Master had somehow reached their platform while the two of them were distracted. "Terra, you have taken yet another step forward.

"But I was consumed by anger… hatred. If Corva hadn't stopped me, I…" Terra trailed off, looking down. "That was the power of darkness…"

"Darkness that _you_ channeled," Xehanort said, walking towards the boy. Terra looked up, not comprehending.

Corva, on the other hand, felt sick to her stomach. The cold feeling in her chest felt a little stronger.

 _Please… please don't tell me…_ she thought in horror. _Did he… did he allow himself to be caught? To cause this?_

Terra lowered the Keyblade, before banishing it. "No…" he muttered. "I succumbed to it. Just like when I stole Princess Aurora's heart of light."

 _No… Terra… did do that then?_ Corva turned to look at the younger Keyblade Wielder, and almost cried with relief.

The regret on his face was very real. He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this. That much was obvious… and it meant he could still come back from the path of darkness.

"I can never return home now. I'm a failure."

"Ter—" The coldness in her chest suddenly spread, gripping her heart and lungs, and cutting her off. She finally recognized the cold; it was the exact same coldness as when Maleficent's attack struck her in the chest. Darkness. She looked at Xehanort, only to see his eyes on her. The man then turned back to Terra… and _smiled._

"Then don't. You could be my pupil," he offered. Terra gasped, quickly looking up at the man. "Master Eraqus, you see, is so afraid of darkness that he too has succumbed—not to darkness, but to light. It shines so bright, he forgets that light begets darkness. And Aqua and Ventus, and even Corva here; their lights shine too bright," he said. Terra turned to look at the Angel, but the darkness still had a cold grip on her chest. She could hardly breath, let alone speak.

"See? She doesn't deny it." Xehanort shook his head, before pointing to Terra's chest. "It is only natural they cast shadows on your heart. Eraqus… he's such a fool! Light and darkness, they are a balance—one that must always be maintained." The old man walked away, turning his back to the two of them. "Terra… you are the one who shows the true Mark of Mastery, but he refuses to see it."

 _Stop! Stop it!_ Corva thought desperately. She could clearly see now what Xehanort was trying to do. He wanted Terra to turn away from Eraqus, who saw him as a son. To turn away from his friends, Aqua, Ventus, even herself, who had come to see Terra as a big brother, despite knowing him for such a short time. _Please… stop!_

The two were silent for a moment, before Xehanort started speaking again. "And I know why. It is because he fears you."

The coldness in Corva's chest increased, and she slid to her knees. Xehanort frowned at her. "It seem he's is not alone." Terra looked at Corva as well. She shook her head, her eyes widening, but Terra turned away, seeming to take that as confirmation rather than denial.

"Join me," Xehanort said, taking Terra's hand. "You and I can do the worlds much greater good, by wielding light and darkness in equal shares."

"Master Xehanort…" Terra muttered. Xehanort smiled, letting go of his hand and clasping his shoulder.

"See more worlds. Seek out the darkness that upsets the balance. Find Vanitas. And bring an end to him…" He smiled at the boy. "Master Terra."

Terra gasped, staring at the man for a few moments, before shaking his head slightly, putting a hand over his chest and bowing.

Xehanort nodded and walked away. The coldness in Corva's chest decreased, until it was just a nagging feeling. Able to breathe again, she slowly climbed to her feet. Xehanort looked back at her, and the coldness in her chest throbbed.

She instantly got the message. He had somehow got darkness into her, around her heart. It was while she was on the platform with him, by herself. If she interfered with this…

"Corva? I'm sorry. I… didn't mean to scare you," Terra suddenly said. Corva shook her head tiredly.

"I… it's okay. Um. Master Xehanort is right, though, about there needing to be a balance. I just I just… never thought of it in terms outside of Angels and Demons," she said, looking up at him and forcing a smile. A small frown crossed Terra's face, and she knew he could tell her smile was forced. She shook her head.

"Let's head out, okay?" she pleaded.

"Sure," Terra muttered, leading the way. Corva followed quietly.

"Terra! Corva!" Ven's voice suddenly called to them as they reached the surface of the Outer Gardens. The two of them turned towards the boy, and Corva felt relief at seeing him okay. He grinned at the two of them.

"Take me with you!" Ven pleaded. Terra turned away.

"I can't do that, Ven," Terra said. Ven's face fell, and his head dropped.

"Why not?" Ven asked.

"I just—when I really need you, Ven, I know you'll be there," Terra said after a moment's hesitation. Ven looked up at him and grinned.

"Well, why wouldn't I? You're my friend," Ven said with a bright grin. Terra looked at him for a moment, before looking away again.

"Yeah." He smiled at the boy. "You're right. Thanks, Ven." He glanced over at the angel. "Corva, I know you promised Ven you'd look out for me, but… Think you can go with him for a while?" he asked.

"Huh?" Ven asked. Corva's eyes widened at that, and she began to feel hurt.

"Terra…" she muttered.

"Just for a little while," Terra said with a smile. "Just long enough for me to… take care of what we talked about down there." His eyes flickered to Ven and back, and realization hit Corva like a rock.

He wasn't sending her away because he thought she feared him. He was sending her with Ven to keep him safe from Vanitas.

"Alright. Be careful," she said, feeling a little better.

"Yeah." Terra reached up, pressing the button on his shoulder armor. In a flash of light, he was incased in his armor. He summoned his Keyblade glider and took off, Ven and Corva watching after him.

Ven's face suddenly fell, and he quickly turned towards the town. "I better tell Aqua," he muttered, then stopped, looking at Corva.

"What did he mean, when he said he had to take care of what you guys talked about down there?" he asked. Corva let out a weary sigh.

"I… can't say. Please, Ven, _please_ don't keep asking," Corva all but begged. Ven studied her, taking in the almost defeated expression, and nodded.

"Alright. Let's go find Aqua then," he said.

"Yeah," Corva muttered, following after him.

They found her standing in the middle of the main square. Ven immediately ran up to her. "Aqua!" he called. She turned to them.

"Ven. Corva," she said. "Were you able to find him?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was with him right after he left you guys," Corva said.

"And then I found these two… and he asked Corva to go with me, but… he's gone," Ven sighed.

"Right…" Aqua sighed, looking forward. "Then I can't stay here," she decided.

"Let us go with you, Aqua," Ven asked with a grin. Corva started to smile as well.

"No, Ven. And Corva, you should know better, too," Aqua almost snapped. Both teens reeled back. "Do as I say and go home," she said sternly to Ven, before turning to Corva. "You're supposed to take him home, right? Then do it."

Ven sighed, lowering his head, looking very upset. Corva wrapped an arm around him, shooting a frown in Aqua's direction.

"Why?" Ven asked. "Why are you doing this?"

Aqua turned away, looking down herself. "I don't want to put you in harm's way." She turned to the two, placing a hand on a shoulder each. "Either of you. You understand?" she asked, before pulling away without waiting for an answer.

In a flash of light, she was in her armor and flying away as well. Corva frowned, before hugging Ven comfortingly.

"Are you going to take me home, now?" he demanded dejectedly. Corva hesitated, before shaking her head.

"No. I think you've more than proven you're just as strong as Terra and Aqua. Besides, if there comes a time when Terra really needs you…" Corva trailed off, holding Ven at arm's legnth, and he looked up at her. He smiled a little in understanding, but Corva could tell it was a sad smile.

"Thank you," he said. Corva nodded.

"No problem. Come on, let's go find somewhere to sit for a while," she suggested.

They winded up sitting on the ground at the edge of the main square. Corva stayed silent, letting Ven think, while she herself focused on the cold feeling in her chest. She knew it was darkness, and she knew Xehanort had begun to manipulate it while she was attempting to free him from the chains. Her biggest question was _how_ , and _why._ And how could she free herself of it.

Because Terra was in danger. That much, she knew, and she needed to warn him before it was too late. But she couldn't do that if… if Xehanort could simply manipulate that darkness to take her breath away.

She sighed, shaking her head, and looked over at Ven.

He was holding a wooden Keyblade that had Terra's name carved into the hand guard.

"Hm? What's that?" she asked.

"Something Terra gave me a long time ago," he sighed, twirling it. Corva watched him do this, until suddenly, he lost his grip on it, and it bounced away, landing at the feet of two teens who happened to be walking by. One of them, a red head with bright green eyes, stopped.

"Hm?" He bent down and picked it up, giving it a few practice swings. He then turned to Ven and Corva. "This yours?" he called.

Ven nodded, and the other teen, a guy with blue hair, sighed, stopping and looking back at his friend.

"Lea, we don't have time for this," he said.

"Lighten up, Isa. It'll only take a sec," Lea said with a grin, before walking over to the two of them. "You still play with toy swords? That's cute," Lea said, twirling the wooden blade so he was holding it by the middle, offering the handle to Ven. Ven scowled, not taking it, so Lea tossed it at his feet with a grin.

"Now this right here—" Lea reached behind him, before pulling out what looked to be two weighted Frisbees, each with a picture of some fire monster on it. "Tadaaaaa! Whaddaya think?" he asked, holding them up, like he was about to start flapping his arms to fly. Corva smirked at the thought.

"Not a whole lot," Ven sighed, looking away. Corva snorted at that, looking up at Lea to see his reaction. He dropped his arms to his sides, swinging the Frisbees back and forth.

"You're just jealous. I'm Lea," Lea said, leaning forward, his hands on his hips. He then tapped his temple with one finger. "Got it memorized?" Ven glanced sideways at him. "What's your name?"

"Ventus," Ven said. Corva frowned, before grinning at Lea.

"And I'm Corva," she said.

"Okay, Ventus. Let's fight!" Lea challenged.

"Fight?" Ven sounded shocked. "Why would I wanna do that?"

"You scared of losing?" Lea asked. "C'mon!" Lea bounced back, away from where the two sat. "Hope you're ready!"

"Can you believe this?" Ven demanded, looking at Corva, who grinned, watching Lea.

"I don't know, Ven, he's calling you out. You just gonna take that?" she asked. He looked at her, shocked, then down at the wooden Keyblade.

Finally he grabbed it and pushed himself up, a smile appearing on his face.

"Yeah! Now we're talkin'," Lea said.

"You're gonna be sorry," Ven said as he got into a ready position. The blue haired boy, Isa, walked over, leaning against the wall next to Corva.

"Can you believe this? He goes and challenges every person he meets," Isa said boredly. Corva smiled.

"I think he's interesting, to say the least," Corva replied.

"Well, I'll certainly give you that," Isa said dryly. Corva laughed.

"He's _your_ friend!" she pointed out. Isa smiled with a small shrug, turning to watch the horribly one-sided match.

It didn't take long for Ven to knock Lea off his feet, the two discs flying from his hands. He looked up from where he sat, panting.

"You… had enough? 'Cause I'm willing to… call it a draw if you are…"

"Huh?" Ven asked, standing up straight, before chuckling. "Right…"

"From where we sat, the only thing you drew was a big L on your forehead for 'loser', 'lame', 'laughable'…" Isa called. Corva burst out laughing at that.

"He has a point. Ven got you good!" she added, while Ven chuckled. Isa and Corva stood, moving over to the two.

"Wha—isn't this the part where ya… cheer me up or somethin'?" Lea demanded, glaring playfully at Isa. He crossed his arms. "'You're just havin' a bad day,' or… 'that's what you get for pullin' your punches!'" He sighed. "Some friend."

"Oh, you mean I was supposed to lie," Isa translated.

Corva laughed. "Yeah, there was no way you were pulling your punches. You got beat fair and square," she said.

"And soundly," Isa added.

Lea sighed dramatically, putting his arms behind his head and flopping back to lay down. "You see what I gotta put up with?" he asked no one in particular. Corva giggled at him, shaking her head. Lea suddenly looked up at Ven. "Hope you don't have more friends like her. Or _any_ like him," he said, motioning to those two with his head. He then grinned, while Ven looked confused for a second, before laughing. The rest joined in, until they were all laughing.

Finally, Isa looked down at his friend. "Lea, we have to go," he said.

"'Kay," Lea said, before hopping to his feet.

"Already?" Both Ven and Corva asked in unison. Lea stopped, looking back at them.

"I'll see ya when I see ya. After all, we're friends now," he said. "Get it memorized!"

"Okay," Ven said. Corva smiled warmly.

"Lea," she added.

Lea grinned and turned to follow after Isa, while Ven and Corva watched after them, each wearing a smile.

"What's with you and picking up stray puppies?" Isa suddenly asked as Ven and Corva turned to go on their way. They hesitated, listening.

"I want everyone I meet to remember me. Inside people's memories, I can live forever!" Lea said.

"I know I won't forget you. Believe me, I try all the time," Isa snipped.

"See, I'm immortal!" Lea taunted. Corva giggled at that, and Ven shook his head in amusement.

"You're obnoxious," Isa said, and the two began to walk away.

"Must be nice," Ven suddenly sighed. "Knowing who your friends are…"

"Hey, don't start that," Corva said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Ven turned to look at her, and she smiled at him, giving him a squeeze. "I'm your friend. And so are Aqua and Terra." She smirked. "Got it memorized?"

"Ha-ha," Ven said sarcastically, but a real smile broke through on his face all the same. "Come on, let's get going."

"Yeah," Corva said, cloaking herself in light as he changed into his armor and summoned his glider. Together, the two took off, leaving Radiant Garden behind.

...

 **A/N:** I was going to add a lot more to this chapter, but then I realized what I was going to add would work a lot better in the _next_ chapter. So, uh… yeah, that one will have a tissue warning, too.


	6. Angel of Death

**A/N:** I was gonna wait on writing this chapter till tomorrow, but… well, I think I'll just go ahead and write it now.

Also, **TISSUE WARNING!** You know, just in case you couldn't tell from the title…

…

Chapter Six: Angel of Death

Corva and Ventus flew through the Lanes In Between, catching up with each other since they separated in the Enchanted Dominion. Ven was over joyed to hear about Prince Phillip breaking Aurora's curse, and Corva nearly died of laughter as he told her about shrinking down to mouse size and fighting a cat. Corva was careful not to tell him about the times with Xehanort, however, and she didn't mention Olor either.

"Well, I have passes to Disney Town now, so we can—Corva, are you listening?" Ven asked, noticing the girl had slowed to a stop.

Corva had spotted something that had made her heart drop into her stomach.

"Ven, you go on ahead. I'll catch up, promise!" she called.

"Corva?" Ven called as the girl shot away. He hesitated a moment longer, before shrugging, continuing forward like she asked.

 _There's just… no way…_ Corva thought as she drew closer to the figure that had caught her attention. She gasped when she was close enough to make out details.

"Parca!" she called, realizing it was who she thought it was; the Angelic Diviner from her world, the one with gray wings. He was unconscious, the light that surrounded him flickering. Corva flew over to him, carefully folding his wings against his back before wrapping her arms around him and cloaking him in her light as well. She then looked around, noticing a world not too far away.

"That one will have to do," she muttered, flying to it.

…

The world was beautiful. It was a small island, surrounded by water. The sun was high in the sky, which was a rich blue, and the sand on the beach was nearly white.

In the center of the island was a large mountain like structure, full of trees. Corva carefully landed on that, laying the elder Angel down and searching him for injuries. Thankfully, there was none, so, she simply sat, waiting for the diviner to wake up.

"Ooo… where am I?" he groaned as he finally woke up, a few hours later. Corva had been watching the group of kids that ran around on the beach below, totally oblivious to the two angels above them. She turned her attention to the man.

"Parca. It's good to see you awake," she said. The man's head snapped up.

"Corva? What? What's going on?" he asked, scooting back from her. Corva rolled her eyes, used to these kinds of reactions. She turned back to watching the kids. Two in particular, a boy with silver hair, and a boy with brown spiky hair, had caught her attention. They kind of reminded her of Terra and Ventus, even though she couldn't exactly place _why._

"I found you unconscious in the Lanes In Between, so I bought you here. Have you been in the Lanes since Paradise was lost?" she asked, glancing sideways at the man, who nodded. "Thought so. I bought you here and waited for you to wake up." She looked back down at the two boys.

"You did what!?" he gasped. Corva glanced at him to see him staring at her in fear, his feathers quivering, and she rolled her eyes.

"You still fear the Curse? We're not on Paradise anymore. It's gone," she snapped, losing her patience.

"You're wrong, Corva," Parca said. Corva turned more towards him. "That curse is not world specific. Besides, even if it was, you were always destined to be an Angel of Death."

Corva reeled back at that, her eyes widening as she thought back to the first time she heard those words.

…

 _Eight Years Ago_

 _It was Corva's first day at the Guardian Angel Academy. She was excited and nervous in equal measures, but didn't let it show as she ran to the school._

 _However, when she reached the door, three older students blocked her way. Two had white wings, while the third had tan wings, tipped with darker brown._

" _Oh god, it's the Angel of Death," the tan winged one said, flaring his wings to block Corva from entering the building._

" _Wh-what?" she squeaked, scrambling back slightly. She knew the angels with wings like that tended to be a bit more aggressive. The two with white wings snickered._

" _Look at her, she's so clueless. Looks like mommy and daddy didn't tell her about black wings," one of them said._

" _If her parents are even still alive. You've heard the stories of Angels of Death, haven't you?" the other said._

" _M-my parents? They're alive," Corva said in confusion, looking between them._

" _So they just didn't tell her," the first white angel said. The tan one stepped forward with a smirk, reaching over and plucking one of the feathers from her wings._

" _Do you know what black wings means? I'm sure you've noticed people avoiding you," he said, twirling her black feather in her face._

" _Careful…" one of the white angels warned, real fear in his voice, as Corva shook her head, wrapping her wings protectively around herself._

" _Hah, she won't do anything to me. Look at her," the tan angel said to his friend over his shoulder. He then turned to Corva with a smirk. "It means you are destined to fail as a Guardian. That you are destined to be an Angel of Death," he said. Corva's eyes widened, filling with tears._

" _No… no I'm not…" she whimpered._

" _Hah. An Angel can't change her feathers. Deny it all you want, but it's the truth." The tan angel dropped her feather to the ground and crushed it under his foot, the biggest sign of disrespect to an Angel. He then turned and walked back to his friends. He stopped just inside the door, looking back at Corva. "Just give up. You'll never succeed as a Guardian Angel."_

" _I'll show you!" Corva yelled after them, tears running down her cheeks. "I WILL succeed as a Guardian!" She sighed and looked down at the feather on the ground, crushed. "And I WILL change my feathers. I'll show you."_

…

 _The next day, Corva saw those three at the door again. She walked confidently towards them, yet they took one look at her and burst out laughing._

 _Paint sat thickly in her feathers, turning them a rich blue color, tipped with white._

" _Look at her! She painted her wings!" one of the white angels laughed._

" _I can't believe it," the tan angel said, stepping towards her with a malicious smirk. Corva slowed to a stop, lifting her chin defiantly._

" _I am no Angel of Death," she said._

" _Right," the tan angel snorted. He shook his head. "You know what? Prove it to us. Let's see how well you_ fly _!" he shoved his hand hard against her chest, easily pushing her off of the cloud they stood on. Corva gasped as she fell, but threw open her wings._

" _What are you doing!?" one of the white angels gasped in shock as many of the students ran to the edge of the cloud, looking down at the falling girl._

 _Unfortunately, Corva's wings were heavy and clumsy, weighed down by the paint. She flapped them, but was unable to catch any air under them._

I'm gonna die… _she realized, her eyes widening._

 _That's when she screamed._

" _Are you nuts!?" a young voice suddenly demanded, and a boy, Corva's age, dove over the edge of the cloud, tucking his white wings tight against his back. He quickly reached Corva and wrapped his arms around her, throwing his own wings open._

 _He wasn't able to fly back up to the Academy, but he did slow their descent so that they landed lightly on the ground of Hominum._

" _Are you okay?" the boy asked, looking down at Corva. Corva threw herself into his chest, sobbing from fear. He simply held her comfortingly._

 _Once she calmed down, he helped her clean the paint from her wings, and the two flew back up to the Academy._

" _My name's Olor, by the way. And don't listen to those bullies. You'll make a great Guardian someday," the boy said with a grin to Corva as they landed on the cloud. Corva smiled shyly back._

" _You don't think… I'm an Angel of Death?" she asked._

" _Nah. I think you'll be one of the best Guardian Angels ever! Wing color doesn't define your destiny," Olor said brightly._

…

Present Time

"I… I wanted to become a Guardian Angel to prove that I _wasn't_ an Angel of Death. That the color of my wings didn't define my destiny," Corva said, her voice thick with emotion. Tears were welling in the corners of her eyes. "I wanted to prove everyone wrong…"

"Yet all you succeeded in doing was proving us right," Parca said. Corva's head snapped up, her eyes widening. "You worked so hard to graduate top of your class from the Guardian Angel Academy, forcing us to give you the most important charge, and you _lost_ him. And because our world lost his light… it fell to darkness. Corva, you didn't just lose your charge. You lost the world."

"No… no!" Corva cried, throwing her wings open. "I was against impossible odds. It wasn't my fault!" she yelled, before taking off, running away from his accusations. They circled around in her head, chasing each other until she couldn't stand it anymore.

No one heard her scream in the Lanes In Between.

…

Corva felt drained when she landed in a new world. All she wanted to do at this point was find somewhere to hide, alone, for a while, but she knew she had to find Ven again.

 _Was he telling the truth? When he said I was still cursed?_ She wondered as she walked forward, moving through a town. The ground under her feet was yellow, hard packed dirt, and the buildings around her were tall, made of stone, with decorative pillars. The people who were going about their business all wore toga's and sandals, and there were posters advertising 'The Games' hung up everywhere.

Corva didn't take much notice of this, however, until the screams began. "Huh!?" she gasped, looking up and around. "Unversed?"

But there weren't any monsters for them to be screaming about. Instead, they were pointing… at her.

"It's Thanatos! Come to reap our souls!" the cried as everyone scattered, leaving Corva alone and confused.

"Wh-what's going on? Who's Thanatos?" she called, looking around. A voice suddenly tsked from behind her.

"Mortals, am I right?" the voice asked. Corva quickly turned, spotting a man with blue skin and blue flames for hair. He was tall, practically twice her height, wearing a black robe.

"Who…?"

"Me? Oh, I'm Hades, lord of the dead, blah blah blah," the lord waved his hand as he spoke, before grinning at her. "And you, my little black bird, they've mistaken you for Thanatos, my right hand man, reaper of souls," he said. Corva gasped, her eyes widening, and she wrapped her wings around herself.

"'Reaper of Souls'?" she muttered.

"Yeah, you could call him the Angel of Death," Hades said with a shrug. Corva's eyes widened at that.

"No…" she whispered, tears filling her eyes again. Hades quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Ooh, I seemed to have hit a nerve," he said, more to himself. He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Oh! I have an idea!" he said, snapping his fingers and coming over, moving to in front of her. "What if you entered the games?"

"The games?" Corva asked softly.

"Yep! A series of competitive fights. You do this, and you can prove to everyone here you're not Thanatos. After all, that stick in the mud would never enter the games, unless he had to reap someone there," Hades said, turning away from her with a wave. "Just something to think about, Blackbird!" he called, walking away. Corva bit her lip, thinking about it.

 _I could prove to everyone I'm not an Angel of Death… even… to me._

"Wait!" she called, looking up at Hades's retreating back. He stopped.

"Yes?"

"The games. How do I go about signing up for them?" she asked. Hades glanced at her over his shoulder and smirked.

"I'll handle the details myself. Just meet me in the Vestibule when you're ready," he said, walking away.

Corva nodded, waiting for a few minutes before following after him. "The Vestibule?" she muttered, quickly finding it. Hades was already there. He smirked at her.

"Alrighty, I've signed you up for the East bracket. Just win some matches without reaping any souls, and you'll prove to them all you're not Thanatos. Got it?" Hades said. Corva nodded.

"Got it. Um… thanks," she said, walking out to where the matches would be.

The first few matches Corva fought, her opponents seemed scared of her, not willing to come near her. She won those easily, but the wins left her feeling sick to her stomach.

Her fifth match, however, was a different story.

"So, you're the 'Angel of Death,'" the man said, easily swinging a broad sword around. Corva stiffened, scowling at him. "Hah. I ain't scared of you. Bring it!" he said, throwing himself forward when the match began. Corva jumped back, flapping her wings to gain altitude to dodge the attack, before countering. A part of her was flooded with relief that he was treating her as a regular opponent.

…

Hades watched the match with a scowl. "Ugh. The darkness in her heart was growing stronger with each match, until this idiot showed up. Who doesn't fear death?" he ranted to himself. He then frowned, glancing down at a blank doll he held in his hand. "Seems I'll have to give her a little push myself."

…

Corva dodged the man's swings, before suddenly tucking her wings against her back, diving down, right at him. Just before she slammed into him, she flipped over, landing feet first on his face.

"ARGH!" the man cried as he was forced to the ground. Corva jumped up and back, flipping off of him and landing, standing over his chest, the point of Holy Sword at his throat.

"Yield!" she panted. The man sighed, closing his eyes.

"I yield," he said, letting go of his weapon. Corva smiled, moving so that she stood next to him, offering her free hand to help him up.

"Good match," she said. The man smiled, taking her hand.

"Ye—" his eyes widened, and he gasped. Blue fire surrounded the man, and his body dropped back. Instead, it was his spirit sitting up, holding Corva's hand.

Screams erupted from the stands. Corva staggered backwards, but couldn't seem to let go of the spirit's hand.

"Wh-what's happening!?" Corva whispered, scared.

"—death—"

"—here to take him—"

"—told you she was Thanatos—"

Corva looked up and around, the scared and accusing faces surrounded her from all over the stands.

"No… no!" she cried, finally forcing herself to let go of the spirit's hand, who sunk into the ground. The muttering grew louder, until finally, she threw her wings open and flew away.

She managed to find a spot to hide on the outskirts of town, and sat, burying her head in her arms.

"Well, that was enlightening," a familiar voice said from behind her. She wrapped her wings around herself.

"Leave me alone," she said.

"Now, why would I do that?" Hades moved closer to her. "After all, I went through so much trouble to sign you up for the games, and you're not even going to finish them out? Talk about ungrateful!"

"How can I go back there after what just happened!?" Corva yelled, jumping to her feet and spinning to face him. He shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But my dear, fear is the way to gain their respect!" he said, before his hand suddenly flashed with darkness. Coldness rushed through Corva, and her body went rigid. She gasped, watching as Hades held up his free hand, and a doll, a perfect replica of herself, appeared in his hand. Darkness surrounded it, and Hades smirked.

"But if you refuse to make them fear you on your own, I'll just have to make sure you do it with this," he smirked.

"Yes, Hades," Corva said, much to her own horror.

 _Wh-what's happening to me? This coldness… and-and-!_

"Lord Hades," the god corrected, and the darkness around herself and the statue grew darker still.

"Lord Hades," Corva repeated. The god smirked, letting her go.

"Good. Now then, let's get back to the arena. You have some more matches coming up," he said, and before Corva knew what she was doing, she took off into the air, flying back to the arena.

The worse part? She couldn't stop herself.

…

Corva fought her way through the rest of the matches in the East bracket, finally coming out on top.

"Alright, the West has one more match to go, and my money is on Zeus's brat," Hades said, pacing in front of her. "Then, once they're done, you'll fight the winner. And you know what you're going to do? You're going to destroy them," Hades said.

"What?" Corva gasped. Hades scowled, putting a hand on her shoulder. Darkness appeared around her once more, as the doll of her appeared in his other hand.

"That wasn't a suggestion. You _will_ destroy them," he demanded.

"Y-yes, Lord Hades," Corva gasped. The god nodded and let go of her.

"Good. Now, let's go watch that last match," he said, leading the way. Corva had no choice but to follow.

…

The two of them stood in the shadows, watching as the two contenders, a young man in a helmet with a sword, and another young man in a white toga, using his fists, went at it.

The match wasn't holding Corva's attention, though. Instead, one of the people watching from the side, did.

 _Ven!_ She thought, watching as the boy cheered the two on.

"Hey! We goy trouble!" a satyr suddenly yelled, running into the arena.

"Hm?" Hades turned his attention to the speaker, and frowned.

"There's monsters loose in town, and if they gate-crash the Games, you can forget about the match!" the satyr continued.

"Real monsters?" One of the contenders, the one in white, gasped.

"We have to stop 'em," the one with the sword said.

"Leave the monsters to me!" Ven yelled, causing both boys to turn towards him. "This match is too important!" he added, rushing out.

The two contenders looked at each other for a moment, before the one in white took off after Ven.

"Are you kidding me!?" Hades snarled, his skin and fire hair turning red. "Ugh! Damn heroic kid… no matter," he said, turning to look at Corva, returning to his usual blue color. "If the monsters don't finish them off, you will."

…

Ven and the two boys managed to take out all of the monsters by the time Hades and Corva found them, and the three of them, plus the satyr who had called out the warning, were all standing around talking, seeming in high spirits.

"Change of plan. You're going to take all of them out. Got it?" Hades grumbled, watching the four of them from the tallest roof. Corva felt herself nod, although she was trying to fight it the whole time.

"Like Terra, Aqua, and Corva. We'll patch things up," Ven was saying, turning to leave.

"You're leaving? The boy in white asked, running up behind him.

"Yeah. My—" He started to turn, and cut off at seeing a slash of light headed straight towards the boy. "Hercules, watch out!" he yelled, shoving the boy aside and blocking the attack with his Keyblade.

"Whoa!" Hercules gasped from where he sat on the ground. "Where'd that come from? More monsters?"

"I don't know," Ven said, looking around. Hercules quickly jumped to his feet moving closer to the boy, while the one with the sword, who had introduced himself as Zack, quickly moved over as well.

Corva dropped down from the roof, landing in front of them.

"Corva!?" Ven gasped, before his eyes widened in horror, watching as the angel raised Holy Sword threateningly. "Corva, what are you doing?" he demanded.

"…Ven…" she gasped. "…H-help… me…" Her body shot forward, and she thrust Holy Sword directly at Zack, who deflected it. Ven jumped back, confused.

"Wh-what?"

"That your friend?" the satyr asked. Ven glanced at him and nodded. "She was the heavy hitter I told you about in the East." He looked forward, pointing up to the roof where Hades stood. "And it looks like she's being controlled."

"How do we stop it?" Ven demanded, while Hercules and Zack kept the angel busy.

"See that doll? Hades uses those to trap the free will of whoever those dolls looks like. Get that, and you can free her," he said.

"Right," Ven nodded in determination, before running forward, skirting the edge of the fight. Corva was a whirlwind. Her blade slammed into Zack's, before she let it bounce off, using its momentum to spin around and strike at Hercules with it. Hercules caught the blade between his hands, skidding slightly, but held it steady. Corva frowned, pushing her weight onto the sword, but Hercules managed to hold it still.

Ventus, meanwhile, quickly got up onto the roof and behind Hades.

"Huh? Where'd the spiky haired brat go?" the lord of the dead was muttering to himself, looking around. Ven frowned and rushed up behind him, slashing at the god's hand, the one that held the doll. "YEOWCH!" he yelped as the doll flew into the air. Ven jumped up and caught it.

"Looking for—AH!" he cried out in shock as the doll electrocuted him.

 _I am no Angel of Death!_

 _I was overwhelmed. It wasn't just the demons, but shadows as well._

 _Why didn't you say anything!?_

 _I failed…_

 _In order to protect you from my curse…_

 _You loved me even more then my own parents, and yet you turned your back on me when I needed you most._

 _It wasn't my fault!_

Ven staggered slightly, staring at the unassuming doll in his hands. "Is this… is this what belongs in Corva's heart?" he muttered, before turning to look at the girl, who had yanked Holy Sword from Hercules grip and was in the process of smashing it against Zack's sword.

"Give that back, kid. You have no idea what you're holding," Hades growled, shaking his hand slightly. Ven's attention snapped back to the god, and he scowled.

"I know exactly what I'm holding, and you're not going to use it to control my friend any longer!" Ven yelled, before turning back to where the three were fighting. "CORVA!" he yelled, before throwing the doll.

"No!" Hades yelled.

The doll soared overhead, until it reached the air above Corva, where it burst into light. Corva's eyes widened slightly as she gasped, warmth spreading through her body once more, chasing out the cold. She looked at Zack, at where her sword was locked against his, and slowly pulled back. Zach relaxed with a sigh as Corva allowed the Holy Sword to vanish from her hands.

Tears pooled into her eyes. "I'm sorry," she muttered, glancing between him and Hercules, both who shook their heads.

"It wasn't you. It was him," Hercules said, turning to look up at Hades. Corva looked up at him and scowled.

"Hades," she snarled, snapping her wings open and launching into the air.

Hades, who was about the crush Ven, looked over his shoulder.

"Uh-oh, time to go!" he gasped, disappearing into a puff of black smoke. Corva flared her wings as she shot through it, stopping just in front of Ven, who looked up at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and Corva blinked at him.

"Yeah," she sighed, landing in front of him. Ven glanced away, before looking back at her.

"I don't just mean…" he hesitated, then shook his head. "Never mind," he said with a smile, before hugging her. "I'm just glad to have you back," he said. Corva smiled slightly, hugging him back.

"Yeah, same here," she said softly.

…

"What do you mean, you're staying?" Ven gasped in shock as the two of them stood in the courtyard outside the Vestibule. "After what Hades did to you?"

"That's _why_ , Ven. I get the feeling he's going to do it again, and _soon._ I want to stop him," Corva explained.

"Then let me stay and help you," Ven pleaded. Corva smiled at him.

"I'd love that, you know I would. But… your journey doesn't stop here," she reminded him softly. Ven's eyes widened, and he nodded.

"You're right," he sighed. Corva smiled at him.

"Don't worry. I won't let Hades control me again, and I'll catch up to you soon," she promised. Ven hesitated a moment before nodding.

"Alright," he said, stepping away and changing into his armor. He summoned his glider and hopped onto it, before stopping, turning and looking at Corva.

"For what it's worth, I know you're not an Angel of Death," he said. Corva looked at him, her eyes wide. "And… you're a great Guardian Angel." With that, he took off into the sky. Corva almost wanted to follow him, to ask how he knew her doubts, but let it go.

"Thank you," she said softly with a smile.

…

 **A/N:** And there we go! Alrighty, I'm gonna take a break now. Next chapter will be up soon!


	7. Friendship

**A/N:** Here we go again! *quickly look at outline* This chapter doesn't have a tissue warning. So yeah!

ONWARD!

…

Chapter Seven: Friendship

This time, Corva entered herself in the Games, under Phil's, the satyr's, sponsorship (after she explained she _didn't_ reap that contender's soul, she doesn't have the power to do that). And after the last two athletes Phil sponsored in the games defaulted before the final round… well, he didn't have much of a choice.

So, she was to go through the East bracket.

Again.

"Why do you want to reenter the games, anyway?" Zack asked after Phil finished explaining the rules.

"I just… feel like Hades is going to try something else, using the power of darkness. And I want to be here to stop it," she explained. _That's what Ven, Aqua, and Terra would do, after all…_ she thought with a small smile.

"Plus, you probably want revenge against him, huh?" Zack asked, chuckling.

"Well, yeah, that, too," she chuckled, before looking around. "Oh, hey, where's Hercules?" she asked.

"He should be just about finishing up those 1,000 laps. I better go check on the kid," Phil said, walking out. Corva spluttered slightly.

"A _thousand_ laps!?" she gasped, before looking over at Zack. "You should be glad he's not training you…" she said, having heard all about the competition between him and Hercules that Ven had helped out with.

"Nah, that's nothing," Zack said with a nervous laugh.

Corva laughed. "You sound so sure," she teased, before turning to look at the bracket. She grinned.

"You're competing again?" she asked, glancing over at him. Zack grinned.

"Yep! I can't wait to meet you out there. But the one I'm most curious about is him,' he said, pointing to another name. Corva looked at it, and gasped. "Apparently he's the dark horse this go around. No one knows where he came from. A little like you, actually," Zack added thoughtfully, turning to look at the girl next to him, who was staring at the name.

' _Terra'_

 _There's a chance I can meet him out there? I wonder if he even knows I'm here…_ she thought to herself, before shaking her head and looking up at Zack.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," the boy joked with a grin. "Do you know this Terra guy?"

"Yeah, actually. He's my friend. And Ven's," she said. Zack's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yeah. This'll be interesting, to say the least," Corva said with a chuckle, before looking up at the sound of her name. "Oh! I'd better go!" she called out, darting out into the arena.

Almost instantly, the muttering began. Corva heard the words 'angel of death' over and over again, but took a deep breath, remembering Ven's parting words to her.

" _For what it's worth, I know you're not an Angel of Death. And… you're a great Guardian Angel._ "

 _It was worth more than you can imagine, Ven,_ Corva thought with a smile, before getting ready.

The first few matches were a cake walk. Corva was able to easily fight her way through them without breaking a sweat. When she wasn't fighting, she staying in the stands to watch the other fights, and was ecstatic to see Zack, nor Terra had any issues as well. In fact, all three of them flew through the matches pretty quickly.

Finally, Corva found herself standing across the arena from Terra. He smiled slightly at her.

"Didn't expect to see you here. What happened to staying with Ven?" Terra asked, his tone not accusing, but curious.

"I have something of… personal matter to take care of here," Corva said with a smile. "Besides, Ven's just as strong as you and Aqua. He can handle himself for a bit."

Terra looked surprised, but smiled all the same. He then looked around, listening to the crowd mutter about her, which she had begun to block out. "Apparently, the people here don't like you," he said.

"They have their own myths about black wings." Corva shrugged, before getting ready.

"Heh, no matter who wins, no hard feelings, right?" Terra asked with a grin, getting into his own stance.

"Right," Corva said, grinning back. Just then, the match begun. Terra launched himself forward, and Corva pumped her wings, shooting into the sky. The Keyblade Wielder skided to a stop and frowned up at her, while Corva stuck her tongue out at him. She then tucked her wings against her back and dove, slashing at him. Terra rolled out of the way, and Corva threw her wings open to keep from hitting the ground.

Terra dove forward now that she was in his reach and swung his Keyblade at her. Corva rose Holy Sword to block the strike, but the power from Terra's strike forced her to the ground. Terra locked blades with her and pressed his advantage.

"No… fair…" Corva grumbled, causing Terra to chuckle.

"You sound like a kid," he teased. Corva pouted at him, before flapping her wings. Rather than down, however, she pumped them forward, kicking up gusts of wind that buffeted Terra, forcing him backwards.

"Whoa!" he gasped in surprised, finally falling back. Corva jumped back and took to the air once more, rolling her shoulders.

"Talk about unfair!" he called up to her, and Corva grinned.

"Now who sounds like the kid?" she asked, before diving once more. Their blades clashed a few times, but neither was able to get the upper hand on the other. Corva shot back into the air once more, trying to come up with a strategy.

Terra smirked at her, pointing his Keyblade at her. It seemed he already had one, just waiting to be put in use.

"I might not be as good as Aqua at magic, but-! _Aero!"_ he called. A whirlwind of air suddenly wrapped around her, and despite her best efforts, she was bought to the ground, dazed.

Terra shot forward and performed a quick, powerful combo on her, until finally, the finisher threw her back. She hit the ground with a groan, staying down.

"And the winner is Terra!" the announced called.

"Are you okay?" Terra asked, walking over to Corva. She pouted up at him, and he laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. Here," he said, offering his hand. Corva smiled back at him and took his hand, letting him pull her up.

"That was a good match. You're a lot stronger then I realized," Corva said. Terra smiled at her.

"I was about to say the same to you," he said, clasping her shoulder. Corva grinned at him, and he smiled back, seeming to feel…

…relief.

 _That's right. Last time we saw each other, he thought I feared him for what happened, and his darkness._ Corva realized. She thought about telling him now, now that Xehanort was seemingly nowhere near, but there was still coldness wrapped around her heart, and if he was near…

Well, if he manipulated the darkness into making it seemed she feared Terra again, that would ruin everything. So, instead, she gave him a hug.

"Good luck. I'll be watching your next match," she said, before walking over to the stands. Terra smiled at her, heading to the vestibule to get ready.

"Well, that didn't go the way you planned," Phil said, walking over to her. Corva sighed.

"No, it didn't. And I know I can't hang around for too much longer. If Hades is going to show his hand, I hope it's soon," she sighed. Phil nodded.

"I just wonder what he's after…" the satyr mused.

"Well… he wanted to use me to destroy either Zack or Hercules… though once they both threw the match, and you three and Ven were talking in town, it was all four of you. But Herc isn't competing in the games this round, so I guess he's after Zack…" she reasoned.

"Nah," Phil said, shaking his head.

"Hm?" she looked down at him.

"Zack… he's a good kid, but he's such a small target compared to Hercules."

"What do you mean?" she asked. Phil looked up at her in shock.

"Gods, kid, you mean you don't know?" he asked. Corva shook her head. "Herc there was once a god. He's the son of Zeus, the king of gods. And Hades wants nothing more than to bring down the gods," Phil explained.

"So… he really wanted me to do in Hercules…" Corva muttered.

"Right. Though what his game is now…"

Both fell quiet as Terra and Zack stepped into the arena, Zack wearing his helmet once more.

Something felt… off about Zack though, as the boy silently pulled his sword from his back, getting ready.

"Something's wrong," Corva muttered as Terra got ready, too.

"Yeah, the kid never shuts up. What's going on here?" Phil demanded. Corva's feathers bristled slightly as she started getting an idea.

But then the match started, and it was too late to stop.

Zack and Terra's blades clashed a few times, before the former jumped back. "You can't escape!" he yelled darkly, jumping into the air and diving down, slamming into the ground sword point first where Terra had stood seconds before. Terra threw himself back even further as a small shockwave erupted from the sword, and Corva gasped.

"Zack! He's using… darkness?" she muttered.

Terra flung himself towards the boy again, blocking his attacks and countering whenever there was an opening, until finally, Zack hit the ground, his helmet rolling off. Terra watched him for a moment longer, before turning away, walking back to the Vestibule.

Corva's eyes were riveted on Zack, however, dread swirling in her stomach.

Darkness surrounded the boy, and he grasped his sword, pushing himself up.

"Terra!" Corva yelled, just as Zack shot forward.

"Huh?" Terra muttered, turning back. He raised his Keyblade just in time to block Zack's frenzied attacks.

"Stop it! The match is over!" Terra yelled.

"It's not him!" Corva yelled, throwing herself in between the boys and bringing up a light barrier to block Zack's overhead strike. She staggered slightly at the power behind it.

"Corva!?" Terra asked, surprised.

"She's… right…" Zach managed to ground out. Both Corva's and Terra's eyes widened.

"What?" Terra muttered. Darkness surged around Zack, and pain took over his features.

 _This is different from how Hades controlled me. He's actually filled Zack with darkness!_ Corva realized.

"I'm not… doing this…" Zack gasped.

"He's being controlled!" Terra realized. Corva gritted her teeth as Zack pushed against her barrier, and she slid back an inch or so. Terra placed a hand on her back, right between her wings, to steady her.

"Huh? So, what do ya think? You like my new super-warrior?" Hades appeared in a puff of smoke behind Terra. "See—right here, this—it's the power of darkness. Coulda been yours. Still could, if you open up to it."

"Hades, you monster!" Corva snarled, glancing over her shoulder at the god.

"Huh? Black bird? You're still here?" Hades scoffed.

"You were just playing me!" Terra growled, turning to the god.

"He's good at that," Corva scowled.

"Yeah, well, the darkness…" Terra wrapped an arm around Corva and suddenly yanked her away from Zack, switching positions with her to roughly shove the boy away. "…will never have me!"

Zack groaned, before standing up straight, pointing his sword at the two. More darkness rippled around him.

"We have to help him, Terra," Corva said. Terra glanced over at her, taking in the worry on her face.

"I take it he's a friend?" Terra asked. Corva nodded. "Then you don't even have to ask," Terra said, turning back to the controlled boy.

"You've gotta… set my heart free…" Zack managed to ground out.

"We will, Zack. Don't worry," Corva promised.

Zack suddenly dove forward, attacking the two of them. Terra dodged to the left, while Corva took to the air, avoiding the blast of darkness from his attack.

Corva cloaked Holy Sword in light and dove at the boy, their sword bouncing off of each other. Terra, meanwhile, snuck up behind the boy and attacked. Zack cried out from shock and tried to turn towards the new threat, but couldn't without leaving his back exposed to Corva.

That's when Zack suddenly warped out from between the two.

"What!?" Corva gasped. Zack shot towards the two of them at inhuman speed, attacking them quickly. Terra managed to block most of the attacks, while Corva dodged, until finally, Zack stumbled back, a strangled groan escaping him.

"Now!" Corva yelled, and the two of them dove forward, coordinating their attacks.

"Corva, use your light!" Terra called, jumping back.

"Right!" she called, flying backwards as well. She banished Holy Sword and created a ball of light between her hands. Once it was powerful enough, she threw it forwards, and it struck home on Zack's chest.

Zack gasped, before falling to the ground. The darkness that surrounded him mingled with Corva's light, before fading away.

Cheers erupted from the stands, shocking the two of them.

"I forgot we had an audience," Corva muttered, lighting down next to Terra, who chuckled slightly.

"So did I," he admitted.

"Wait… Hades!" Corva gasped, spinning around. But… the god was gone.

"You gonna make it?" Terra asked. Corva turned to see he had walked over to Zack, who was starting to come to.

"Y-yeah. I'm finally free," Zack said, before shaking his head. "Now I know how Corva felt…"

"Huh?" Terra asked.

"Later," Corva quickly said, walking over.

"Where is—" Zack started to ask.

"Gone," Corva said with a scowl. Anger flashed across Zack's face, and he slammed his fist into the ground.

"Man, how could I let him control me? Especially after…" he glanced at Corva, then shook his head. "I'll never live this down!"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Zack," Corva said, as Terra reached a hand down to help him up.

"Hm?" he looked up at the two of them, then smiled at Terra's hand, accepting the help.

"Thanks, uh… Terra, right?" he asked. Terra nodded, and Zack grinned. "I'm Zack, though I'm sure Corva told you. It's nice to meet you," the boy said. He then leaned forward, studying the man, before nodding to himself. "Yup. Definitely. Terra, you're exactly what I pictured a hero would be."

"You're so weird," Corva muttered to herself with a grin, while Terra looked surprised. Zack ignored her.

"Not the way you look… there's something else about you," the boy continued.

Terra suddenly turned his back, surprising the boy.

"Well, I'm no hero, trust me," Terra said, turning his head slightly so that Corva, who stood next to him, couldn't see his face either.

"You kidding? Listen to those cheers, man," Zack said, motioning to around the stands.

"I can promise they're not for me," Corva added with a sad smile. Zack glanced at her, before looking back at him.

"You don't get to decide if you're a hero or not. They do," the boy said. "And they've already made up their mind." Terra looked around the stands, at all the spectators cheering, chanting _his_ name.

"Whether you like it or not, Terra, you're their hero," Corva said with a grin. Zack chuckled, playfully punching Terra's chest and gaining his attention again.

"And mine, too," he said with a grin.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Corva demanded playfully, catching the boy in a headlock.

"Hey, hey!" Zack protested, squirming to get free. Corva laughed and let go of him, and the boy looked between the two of them.

"You know? It's too bad. I really wanted to fight you both fair and square," he sighed sadly.

Terra reached over, suddenly and playfully punching the boy's shoulder in return, gaining his attention.

"Maybe someday, Zack," Terra said with a smile, and Zack grinned back.

…

"So, now what are you going to do?" Terra asked as the two of them left the Coliseum. Corva sighed, stretching her wings.

"We didn't stop Hades, but… I can't stay here any longer," Corva said. _Between the stares I keep getting, and, well, not helping these three if I stay here…_

"I see," Terra said thoughtfully. Corva looked up at him.

"So… I thought… I'd come with you for a bit, then go find Ven again."

"…I haven't taken Vanitas out yet," Terra said softly. "And… I'm still working on facing the darkness."

"Terra… this doesn't have to be something you do on your own," Corva said. Terra turned to her, surprised. "In fact… it shouldn't be something you do alone. I understand why you don't want to put Ven in danger, and why you're reluctant to call on Aqua, but… let me come with you. After all, I promised Ven I'd watch out for you."

"Well…" Terra hesitated, before sighing. "Alright. But… you have a bit explaining to do. You never told me what Master Xehanort meant when he said you'd have to live with the failure of my loss… or what Zack meant when he said he knew how you felt, being controlled."

"Oh, right…" Corva muttered, having forgotten about that. "Well, let's get on the road, and I'll tell you all about it."

"Okay," Terra nodded, and a few minutes later, the two were leaving Olympus Coliseum behind.

As they flew through the Lanes, Corva explained that she was a Guardian Angel, and that by promising Ven she'd protect him, she formed a Guardian-Charge bond between the two of them. Terra nodded thoughtfully, not seeming as irritated by that as she imagined he would be, especially when she explained she had one with Ven, too.

He was, however, pretty angry when he found out how Hades had played her, then controlled her.

"But… you have no interest in darkness. So why…?" he suddenly asked, looking at her. Corva looked down.

"Angels, in my world, with black wings are said to be destined to become 'Angels of Death'. I… I grew up being tormented about it, and it only grew worse… the first time I failed as a Guardian Angel."

There was a soft gasp from Terra, but he otherwise stayed silent, urging her to continue.

"So, when the people of that world started treating me as an Angel of Death… well, I guess that made me vulnerable."

"Ah… I'm sorry to hear that," Terra muttered. Corva shook her head with a smile.

"It's alright. Ven is the one who saved me," Corva said with a smile. Terra chuckled at that.

"He's full of surprises," he said warmly. Corva nodded in agreement, before looking forward.

"Huh? What's that?" she asked. Terra looked up as well, confused, until the two of them drew close enough to see it.

"Unversed!" they both gasped. There were thousands of them, all converging on the two of them.

"All the way out here?" Terra asked, glancing over at Corva, who shrugged.

"Looks like we don't have a choice," she said, adjusting her googles over her eyes. Terra nodded, just as they were surrounded.

Corva quickly lost sight of Terra as the Jellyfish like Unversed separated them, but she could hear the sounds of his fighting from close by. Corva, for her part, summoned Holy Sword and renewed the light surrounded her.

Between the two of them, they made quick work of the Unversed, but it left them exhausted.

"You okay?" Terra called as he pulled up alongside Corva, who reached out and grabbed the side of his glider gratefully.

"Yeah, you?" she panted.

"Ye-huh?" both felt something pull them upwards. Looking up, they found a humongous ship above them, dragging them in.

Neither had the energy left to fight against its pull.

Corva didn't even remember passing out.

…

When Corva woke up, she was disoriented and confused. She slowly sat up, looking around, to find herself in a cell.

"Wha-? What happened?" she muttered, rubbing her head.

Then she heard gun shots, which snapped her awake. She jumped from the hard bed she had been on and raced to the only exit of the cell, a wall made of green light.

Looking out, she realized she was high above the ground. Below were two creatures she'd never before seen, surrounded by Unversed.

"Take cover! Leave it to me to handle these fiends," the one creature, a huge, hulking monster, said, shooting at the Unversed. The second creature, a smaller one who was green, backed away, covering it—his—her? face with… their hand.

"Whatever you are, you're under arrest… eventually!" the bigger one said to the monsters as the smaller creature ran. He was right behind as the Unversed surged towards him.

"Unversed!" Corva gasped, before quickly looking around the cell, trying to figure out how to escape.

Suddenly, across the way, almost level with her at the other wall of cells, there was a flash of light, and Terra jumped down from a newly opened cell, landing in front of the Unversed.

"I'll give ya a fight," he snarled.

"Terra!" Corva called, smacking her hands against the door. Terra looked up and over.

"Corva!? Give me a minute!" he called, turning his attention back to the Unversed. He quickly took them out, then turned and pointed his Keyblade at Corva's door. It flashed with light, and the door opened, allowing the Angel to swoop down and land next to the Keyblade Wielder.

"Where are we?" she asked, but he shook his head.

"I don't know. I just woke up, myself," he admitted, rubbing his head.

"Heh, very impressive display," a voice suddenly said from one of the other cells. Both turned to find a squat, short, bald man with four eyes, wearing prisoner garb, watching them, his cell ground level.

Terra and Corva glanced at each other. The two of them might have been mistakenly imprisoned, but that didn't mean everyone here was.

They began to walk away.

"Wait! You help!" the man cried, running to his door. "I have been imprisoned on ridiculous charges!"

Terra stopped, glancing over at the man. "Is that so?" he asked. Corva crossed her arms, looking at the man as well.

"I am innocent scientist who created galaxy's most destructive—uh…" he cut himself off, and Terra and Corva glanced at each other, catching his slip up. "Constructive species of all times. Why, my experiment could annihilate creatures you fought so hard! He is bulletproof, fireproof, and can think faster than supercomputer," the man boasted.

"What's a super computer?" Corva muttered, while Terra began to look thoughtful.

"He can see in the dark and move objects 3,000 times his rather diminutive size. And for reasons preposterous, the Federation Council fears him."

"'Preposterous'," Corva muttered to Terra with air quotes. The boy snorted softly at that, shaking his head.

"They take him away from me and throw me here in small, stuffy, rather badly lit cell," the man finished.

"Because he's so powerful?" Terra suggested.

"Exactly. Everyone always get antsy in pantses when somebody more powerful is in the neighborhood. You understand, perhaps?" Terra looked away, while Corva frowned.

"We must make to rescue him, or he'll be banished to far reaches of space!" the man pressed.

"I'm not buying this, but… if we leave him here, he'll probably raise an alarm," Corva muttered softly to Terra, who nodded.

"Not only that, if this 'experiment' of his is innocent… we probably should rescue him," Terra pointed out. Corva nodded thoughtfully.

"True. Can't blame the creation for the creator," she muttered. Terra nodded and turned back to the cell, pointing his Keyblade at it and unlocking it.

"Okay, then. Take us to him," he said.

"Experiment 626," the man said once he was free of the cell.

"Huh?" Terra asked.

"Is name I give to adorable, fluffy creature you are helping for to rescue," the man said.

"And that's the best name you could come up with?" Corva asked, quirking an eyebrow. The man shrugged.

"I am scientist! Not wamby-pamby poet!" he snapped, waving it away. He shook his head. "I am genius scientist who created him, Dr. Jumba Jookiba."

"I'm Terra. This is Corva," Terra said.

"Pleasure is all ours. 626 is this way. Hurry!" he called, leading the way. Corva leaned closer to Terra.

"We sure this is a good idea?" she muttered.

"No," Terra said with a sigh, but followed Dr. Jumba all the same. Corva sighed and followed as well.

The three quickly left the prison, following after Jumba as he led them through the ship. Whenever Unversed appeared, Terra and Corva would make quick work of them, while Jumba took cover.

Finally, they reached a transporter.

"Hm… no good. Transporter is shut off from other side" Jumba hummed after a moment of fiddling with the controls. He glanced up at an airlock. "If only we had ships. We could go around outside of big ship to other airlock."

"If one of us could do that, could we turn the transporter on from the other side?" Terra asked.

"Yes, but it is impossible to go out without protection!" Jumba said.

"I've got that covered. Corva, mind waiting here?" Terra asked.

"Not at all. Be careful," she said, watching as he walked over to the airlock. With determination, he activated his armor and summoned his Keyblade glider.

"Whoa!" Jumba gasped, watching as Terra took off to the outside of the ship.

A few minutes later, the Transporter came online.

"He did it!" Corva said excitedly, and both she and Jumba stepped onto the pad, only to be surrounded by light.

Moments later, they were stepping off of a different pad into a new room.

"Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna be sick," Corva groaned, stumbling away. Jumba laughed.

"That is what happens when molecules are scrambled like egg!" he chuckled. Terra rolled his eyes, checking on the Guardian Angel, before looking around the room. Once Corva got her stomach settled, they moved forward into what looked like some kind of docking bay.

"Huh, what's this machine do?" Terra wondered, walking over to a terminal.

"It turns off gravity," Jumba said. "We must do that to reach containment pod." He pointed up to an entrance set high in the wall.

"Oh," Terra muttered, reaching forward and flipping the switch.

Almost instantly, anything not nailed down to the floor began to float, Terra, Jumba, and Corva included. Corva gasped in shock, flapping her wings to gain control of her flight, but that only succeeded in sending her higher.

"Corva, relax!" Terra called with a laugh, swimming through the air to her and catching her ankle.

"R-right. Right," Corva said, shaking her head. Terra chuckled some more.

"Here I thought you'd be the most comfortable being in the air," he teased.

"I would be, if I was controlling my flight," she retorted. Terra nodded, still grinning.

"Fair enough," he conceded.

"Hurry! We must be going this way!" Jumba called from the entrance. Terra and Corva nodded, following after him.

Through that entrance, they found another tall room. They were standing on a platform near the top, however, and had to make their way to the lower levels. It would have been easy enough if the Unversed didn't attack them the whole way down.

Thankfully, none of them fell off the platforms they were moving along, and they made it through the next door, into a control like area, without a problem.

Through here was one more door, and they entered the Containment Pod.

Inside a glass like dome, growling and yelling, was a small, blue creature with four arms, wearing an orange space suit.

Despite the large amount of pointy teeth in its mouth, and the claws, Corva had to admit… it was adorable!

"Amazing, is he not?" Jumba asked, walking towards the thing. "Such tremendous power in such itty-bitty package. Truly, he is the one and that's the only—the mightiest creature in all the galaxy," the scientist said, stopping next to the glass dome. The creature calmed slightly, turning to look at his creator. "And his only singular instinct—to destroy everything he touches! See?" He patted the platform the creature was trapped on.

"What!?" Terra gasped. Corva scowled.

"I knew it."

And suddenly, the dome around the creature disappeared, and he made a pleased sound, quickly looking around.

Then he jumped at Terra.

"Hey!" Corva yelled, worried that the thing would try to destroy Terra. Instead, it scrambled all around him, snatching something from his pocket, and jumped up to the ceiling, sticking there.

Hanging from his claw was an orange star-shaped charm.

Terra quickly checked his pocket, then looked back up at the creature.

"When did you—give that back!" he demanded, and Corva's eyes widened at the desperation in his voice.

"Too late. Is already marked for destruction," Jumba casually said.

"No, stop! My friend gave me that!" he pleaded, then gasped in surprise at himself. Corva looked up at the creature again, frowning, and threw open her wings, taking to the air and chasing after the creature.

She didn't have a chance to, before the creature threw it down and scrambled away. Corva dove, catching the star before it hit the ground, and landed in front of Terra, holding it delicately out to him. He took it, an almost sad look on his face.

"Thank you," he said, before studying it. "Funny… after everything that's happened… how much I think we're no longer friends… the moment I let my heart do the talking, I find out how little I really know myself. And how much I miss them," Terra sighed. Corva shook her head slightly, hugging him and surprising him.

"Terra… you guys had one little spat. It's not the end of your friendship. And your heart knows that," she said, tapping his chest. Terra looked at her in surprise, and smiled, looking at the charm once more.

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe next time we run into the other two… Aqua can make you one of these, too. It's called a Wayfinder, and apparently, she used magic on it to connect the three of us together," he explained. Corva smiled.

"Hopefully," she said, loving the idea.

Terra nodded, putting the Wayfinder back in his pocket, before turning to look at Jumba. "That experiment of yours… you sure about him?" he asked. "Maybe in his heart, he wants friends, just like the rest of us."

"Yeah. The moment Terra said his friends gave him that charm… he let it go," Corva pointed out.

"Impossible! Pshah! He has no actual feelings—only destructive instincts I have carefully chosen for him," Jumba argued. He then pulled something from his pocket. "Or perhaps you need another demonstration of my evil geniusness!" From his other pocket, he pulled a beaker of water, and dropped the first thing into it.

From it burst a yellow creature, much like 626, but sparking with electricity. Corva scowled, glancing at Terra.

"We should have left him in the prison," she grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he sighed, getting ready for an attack.

The yellow creature ghosted around the room, keeping out of their reach and shooting electricity at them. Corva, unable to get close enough to use her sword, instead shot light at him. He dodged most of the attacks, but was distracted enough that Terra was able to land a few attacks without getting electrocuted.

Angered, the creature suddenly shot up to the control panel that controlled the two large blaster guns that had hung on either side of 626, previously offline.

Now, however, they swung around, knocking those two away, then shooting at them. Terra hit the ground hard, and Corva had to shoot over, protecting him from the blaster shots with a barrier of light.

"How do we beat it?" Terra grumbled, pushing himself up.

"I'm not sure," Corva sighed. "First, we need it out of those, though." Once she was sure Terra was okay, she gripped her sword tightly and shot into the air, directly to the control panel. Once there, she stabbed her sword through it.

The panel exploded, and the guns over heated, forcing the creature out of them. Terra shot forward and used a powerful combo on the creature.

At his finisher, the creature cried out and began to glow, before suddenly turning into a small green marble, the thing Jumba had originally pulled from his pocket.

"Oh, you'll be all right, little one," Jumba said, dropping to his knees as the marble rolled to a stop at his feet.

Just then, Corva spotted 626, who stood near the entrance.

"Look!" she gasped. Terra looked up, as did Jumba.

"Huh? What is it? Why have you returned?" Jumba asked.

The blue creature burst into angry sounding noises, none of which Terra or Corva understood.

"Maybe he's wondering what a friend is," Terra said, walking forward. Corva smiled warmly, following after.

"Ridiculous!" Jumba said, but fell quiet as the two kneeled in front of 626.

"My name is Terra. This is Corva," Terra said gently.

"…Ter…ra. Cor…ra…" he said. Corva smiled.

"There you go," she said encouragingly.

"Hm… I can't explain friendship," Terra said thoughtfully, though he was still smiling. "When you feel it, you'll know it."

"Not if I have any say in matter!" Jumba suddenly said. Corva and Terra scowled as they turned to the scientist. "You are only meant to think about what it is you will destroy next. Now, I fix what is wrong with you."

626 didn't seem to like the idea, as he started yelling at Jumba.

"Red alert! Red alert!" a voice suddenly yelled over the speakers. Experiment 626 and three prisoners have escaped from the cell bay. Security, locate the fugitives immediately!"

As the announcer repeated his warning, 626 took off running.

"Not so fast!" Jumba yelled, chasing after him.

"Terra, we gotta go!" Corva gasped.

"Yeah, I know. We can't afford to stay here and get caught," he said. He summoned his Keyblade and created a portal into the Lanes Between. Moments later, he was in his armor, on his glider, while Corva was cloaked in light, her goggles over her eyes.

Terra pulled out his Wayfinder. "Ven, Aqua… even you, Corva. I'll find some way to make things right," he declared, before nodding to the angel. The two of them took off, shooting into the portal, which vanished right behind them.

…

The next world they landed in couldn't have been more different from the last. While the last had been a ship, for one, and full of mechanical stuff with no signs of plant life anywhere, this one was full of green, lush plants, water, and cliffs that sored overhead.

Unfortunately, it wasn't as peaceful as it seemed. Screams erupted from somewhere in front of them, prompting the two to take off in that direction.

"What are they, Cap'n?" a scared voice called, just as Corva and Terra rounded a corner.

Unversed has surrounded two men, both dressed as pirates. The taller one had his sword drawn, but it was useless against the creatures.

"Back! You'll not get me treasure!" the sword wielding man yelled, and it took Corva a second to realize he meant the treasure chest.

"Leave 'em to us!" Terra yelled, rushing forward, Corva right behind him.

The two seemed more than happy to oblige, taking off running.

Corva and Terra made quick work of the creatures, making sure they didn't land a single claw on the treasure chest. Once the coast was clear, the two men came out from where they'd been hiding.

"If I'd desired your assistance, I'd have demanded it. We had the situation under control," the man in red said, sauntering back over to the two of them. He glanced at the shorter man next to him. "Isn't that right, Smee?"

"Oh, yes, Cap'n. Completely," the shorter man said. Corva narrowed her eyes slightly.

 _He… almost sounded sarcastic…_ she thought to herself.

"We would've cleaved those fiends to the brisket, we would!" The man stopped, slashing his arm through the air like a sword. "Why, I'd have given 'em a little of THIS—and THIS-!"

 _Or… maybe not,_ Corva thought, trying not to laugh as she watched the little man's erratic movements that he probably thought passed for swrod fighting.

"And don't think your efforts mean you'll get a share of me treasure, understand?" the taller man added.

Terra and Corva glanced over at the chest, before looking back at the pirate, who, Corva just realized, had a hook for a hand.

"We're not after you precious box, Captain," Terra said. "We're looking for a person. A boy, wearing a mask. Ring any bells?"

"No, not a one," the captain said, turning his back on the two of them. Corva sighed, stretching her wings. The shorter one's eyes were immediately drawn to her.

"Cap'n… look," he muttered, nodding to the angel. The Captain turned back to them, seeming to notice Corva for the first time, and suddenly looked interested. "Though, perhaps we could help you search with our ship, if you were to help us. You see, the light draws those creatures here."

"Huh? What about the light?" Terra gasped.

"It's heartbreaking, really…" the Captain sighed. "This chest, you see, contains light gathered from all around. And I got an acquaintance—a boy—who's sure to try to seize it. A flying boy, you see."

"A boy who's after the light? If he can fly, it can't be Vanitas… but then, who?" Terra mused.

"Well, if he can fly, they're at a disadvantage," Corva said, bristling her feathers to emphasize the point. Terra nodded, before looking up at the captain.

"Then I guess we'll help," he offered. "Maybe you could tell us more about this boy who's troubling you."

"Like his name?" Corva asked.

"Peter Pan," the captain growled, before shaking his head. "This chest must be brought to Skull Rock safely. Don't let that Peter Pan anywhere near it!"

"Right. We've got you covered," Terra said, while Corva nodded in agreement.

Working together, Terra and Corva managed to lift the chest – _It's kinda heavy for having_ light _in it,_ Corva thought ironically – and followed after the captain. Whenever they were attacked by Unversed, they would drop the chest and take the monsters out, Corva perching on top of the chest, taking out any monster that came near, while Terra moved away, taking out the rest.

"Man, this thing is heavy," Corva grunted one of the times they picked it up.

"Yeah…" Terra agreed, glancing back at it curiously.

"Right this way, lad, lass. It's not much further now!" the captain called back to them.

"You know…" Corva suddenly realized, "we never introduced ourselves. And we don't know his name."

"Oh, right," Terra muttered back. He looked forward. "I'm Terra, by the way. And this is Corva," he called.

"I'm Smee, and that's our cap'n, Cap'n Hook," the smaller man said, while the captain rolled his eyes.

"Ah. That's… to the point," Corva said, glancing at the spot where Hook's hand had once been. _I wonder if Hook had always been his name,_ she thought, smiling slightly. Terra glanced back at her with a smirk, and she could tell the two of them had shared the same thoughts. They fell quiet again.

Finally, they got to the edge of the water that separated them from Skull Rock.

"Oh, please tell me we don't have to swim," Corva muttered, shivering at the thought. Obviously, she didn't mind getting her wings a little wet when it rained, or when she was bathing, but completely submerging them was a very _bad_ idea…

"Of course not," Hook snapped, walking over to a row boat. Corva sighed in relief as she and Terra placed the chest inside… only to notice that there wasn't enough room for all four of them.

"I'll meet you there," Corva said, opening her wings and flying ahead. Meanwhile, Terra and Smee took the oars, rowing after her.

Once the row boat reached Skull Rock, Corva helped Terra move the chest, and all four of them moved inside.

"Well done," Hook told the two of them as they lowered the chest to the ground. The two nodded, before walking a bit away, checking to make sure the coast was really clear. Meanwhile, Hook and Smee bickered about something for a few moments, before Hook walked over, clearing his throat.

"Ahem… we've a bit of business to attend to and must, I fear, step away," Hook announced. "I trust you can see to things till I return?"

"Sure. When Peter Pan gets here, we'll be waiting," Terra said. Corva smiled slightly, stretching her wings.

"He's in for a bit of a surprise," she added.

The two men nodded, before heading off.

After a while, Terra moved closer to the chest, while Corva perched in the rocks higher up. Both were a little bored, though Corva was beginning to suspect they'd been played. Again.

Corva suddenly saw movement, and looked up. A boy in green flew through the cavern, but the most surprising part? He didn't have _wings!_

"Terra!" Corva yelled. His head snapped up, and he summoned Earthshaker.

"I see him," he called to her, before looking at the boy. "Are you Peter Pan?" he demanded.

"That's me!" the boy called brightly.

Corva jumped off her rock and shot after the boy. "You won't be getting this light!" she snapped.

"Oh no!" Peter gasped, adding speed to his flight. He pulled his dagger from his belt and glanced back at the angel with a smirk. "Those are some fancy wings, but they won't help you now!" he called, suddenly diving among teeth-like rock formations. They were narrow, forcing Corva to turn sharply, her wings going from horizontal to vertical. There was a few times she had to wrap her wings tightly around herself, too, to make it through, until suddenly, she crashed into one with a groan.

"Haha, told you!" Peter called as he shot out of the formation.

"Now you have me to deal with. HA!" Terra yelled as he suddenly attacked the boy.

"Whoa!" the boy yelped, dodging. Corva carefully shook her head before climbing out of the trap Peter had led her into.

"What do you want with the light!?" Terra demanded.

"Light? What light?" Peter asked, sincerely confused, and a ball of lead dropped into Corva's stomach.

"Look, Pan! We got the chest!" a young voice suddenly called from close to the entrance. Corva quickly looked over to see two boys, one in a fox costume, the other in a bear costume, carrying the chest.

"No!" Corva yelled, snapping her wings open once more and diving down at them.

"AGH!" they yelled, running faster.

"No, not yet you blockheads!" Peter yelled after them. He then frowned as the angel bared down on them.

"Give that back!" Corva yelled.

"Peter, help!" the kids cried.

Just then, the boy in the bear costume tripped, and the box toppled over. Corva flared her wings, coming to a halt and landing just as Peter and Terra reached her.

The contents of the chest spilled, Corva and Terra realized they _had_ been played again.

There was no light in the chest. It was gold.

"That hurt!" the fox boy muttered, rubbing his head.

"Ohh… sorry," bear boy replied, doing the same.

"Now, what is this?" Terra practically snarled, stepping forward, towards the pile of gold.

"Pirate treasure, o' course. Jewels, doubloons—ya know, the usual stuff," Peter said, walking over to stand next to him.

"We've been guarding a pile of loot?" Terra growled.

"Looks like we were fooled," Corva sighed, tucking her wings neatly against her back.

"Sounds like it!" Peter added.

Both Terra and Corva turned to the boy. "We owe you an apology," Corva said.

"Yeah. Seems we picked a fight over nothing," Terra added.

"Aw, it was all in good fun," Peter said, crossing his arms with a grin. He looked over at Corva. "I'd never met someone who flew as good as me! I honestly didn't expect you to make it as far into those rocks as you did!"

"That? That was nothing," Corva said with a grin. "Though I am curious as to how you fly without wings…"

"Oh, that? That's easy," Peter said, his grin growing wider. "Maybe I'll tell you some time."

"I'd like that," Corva said.

Peter nodded, glancing back at Terra. " _And_ it's not every day I get to fight such a good swordsman. In fact, I'd say today was my lucky day!"

"Heh. I'm glad," Terra chuckled.

"Say, what're your names, anyway?" Peter asked.

"Terra," the man said with a smile.

"And I'm Corva," Corva added.

"Right then, Terra, Corva. Which way did Hook go?" Peter asked.

"They had some 'business' to attend to," Corva muttered thoughtfully.

"It was something about a shooting star," Terra added.

"Shooting star!?" Peter gasped in worry, before quickly turning towards the entrance. "Tinker Bell must be in danger! Men, guard that treasure with you lives!" he called as he flew off.

"Aye-aye, sir!" bear-boy called.

"You go an' get 'em, Pan!" fox-boy cheered.

"We should be on our way," Terra sighed, glancing over at Corva, who hesitated.

"I… what if Hook comes back and finds the kids here?" she asked softly. Terra hesitated, realizing the truth in her words.

"But… we need to find Vanitas," he said. Corva nodded thoughtfully for a moment, before making up her mind.

"Alright. Go on ahead, and I'll catch up, okay?" she offered. Terra looked surprised.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. I can handle a one-handed man, no problem," Corva said with a grin. Terra chuckled, but nodded, heading out.

Not too long after Terra left, however, thousands of the jellyfish Unversed appeared, causing both boys to cry out in fear.

"Guys, get out of here! I'll take care of this!" Corva called, summoning Holy Sword. She slashed at a few, causing them to vanish, but was then tackled from behind, sending her tumbling to the ground, winded.

"Corva!"

Corva looked up to see Terra running towards her, Keyblade at the ready.

"Terra!" she gasped, gratefully accepting his hand as he pulled her up.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Corva replied, moving so that they stood back-to-back.

"Then let's finish this!" Terra yelled, going back on to the offensive. Together, he and Corva managed to defeat all of the Unversed.

"Boy, you sure cut those monsters down to size!" fox-boy said as he and bear-boy re-entered the cavern, walking over to the two.

Terra's eyes widened, and he looked towards the entrance. Corva looked up, too, hearing a moment later what caught his attention.

Voices.

"Sh!" Terra muttered.

"Ahoy! How fare ye, lad and lass?" Hook called.

"Hook!" the boys gasped softly.

"Go hide," Corva muttered to them. They nodded, doing as she said.

"Fine. All's well," Terra called in reply to Hook, just as the man rounded the corner, into the cavern. In his hand was an odd lantern. "What's that?" Terra asked as Hook reached them.

"Tinker Bell. One of Peter Pan's dearest friends," Hook said, holding the lantern up. Inside was a pixie, her wings going a mile a minute as she banged against the glass. Corva's eyes widened, and she wrapped her wings around herself, pain shooting through her heart.

She could never imagine being locked up like that.

"Can I take a look?" Terra asked, holding his hand out. Hook glanced up at him, before smiling, passing it over. He then turned smartly on his heel.

Terra, meanwhile, moved the lantern closer to his face, studying it.

"What are you—" Corva began to hiss, before cutting off as Terra found what he was looking for… and undid the latch, opening it. Tinker Bell fluttered gratefully around him.

"So long as I have his precious pixie, Pan's demise is all but assured," Hook was saying, not paying attention to the two behind him. He closed his eyes, laughing to himself. Tinker Bell huffed silently, and shot over, fluttering in the air in front of Hook's face, waiting to be noticed.

As soon as the pirate captain looked up, the pixie kicked him in the nose, sending him backwards, onto his butt. Terra, meanwhile, dropped the lantern in disgust.

"What's the meaning of this!?" Hook demanded, quickly pushing himself to his feet and turning towards the two.

"You know, I didn't give it that much thought," Terra admitted. "Just doing what my heart tells me."

"That's mutiny! And you'll walk the plank for it!" Hook snarled.

Both Corva and Terra summoned their weapons.

"We're not part of your crew!" Corva reminded him.

"Why, I—" Hook suddenly cut off with a gasp, twitching in time with a ticking that suddenly filled the air, sounding almost like an old clock.

"That sound!" Hook muttered, turning towards the water.

Floating there, his tail twitching in time with the ticking… was a crocodile, his eyes locked onto Hook.

Hook suddenly screamed, running as fast as he could from the area.

"Hooray! We sure showed Hook this time!" fox-boy said as he and the other boy ran out from their hiding spot.

Corva smiled, banishing her sword, and Terra did the same, standing up straight.

Golden light suddenly showered down around the two of them, prompting them to look up. Tinker Bell, grateful for Terra freeing her, flew overhead, and it was her light shining down on them.

Terra closed his eyes, seeming to loose himself in memories of happier times.

He wasn't the only one.

…

 _Corva and Olor sat on top of the Academy building, looking up at the millions of lights that depicted the stars._

" _Dad says that each one of those is a different would," Olor said. Corva leaned against him with a smile, and his wing wrapped around her._

" _Really?"_

" _Really. Apparently, the light comes from each world's heart. I think, if I wasn't so set on becoming a Guardian Angel, I'd want to travel from star to star, just to see how different from us they are," Olor said. Corva smiled, looking up as well._

" _Yeah. That sounds like fun. Heh, maybe we'll get lucky, and our charges will travel the worlds, making us go with them."_

" _Nah. The humans don't know of the other words," Olor said, his wing tightening around Corva, pulling her closer. She smiled, snuggling into him._

" _Shame…" she muttered._

…

"Corva? Are you crying?"

Terra's voice bought Corva back to the present, and she blinked, looking down at him. Her cheeks were wet, and her vision was blurred a little. She rubbed her hand against her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling at him.

"Aw, so much for the pirate treasures," bear-boy suddenly said, causing both to turn towards him. The two were standing in front of the chest, which was empty. Terra grinned at Corva and walked over to them.

"Did you guys really want the jewels and gold that badly?" he asked. Corva followed after him curiously.

"Nah, we don't care about that stuff," fox-boy said.

"Uh, but, uh, Pan was countin' on us," bear-boy said.

"I'll tell ya what—put the stuff that's really special to you in there," Terra suggested, kneeling to their height. " _That_ can be your treasure."

"Yeah!" the boys replied enthusiastically. "Real swell idea. Thanks!" fox-boy said, and the two turned back to the box. Terra smiled warmly, watching them as they carried it off.

"Kind of makes me wonder… what I'd put in there," Terra hummed. He glanced over at Corva. "What about you?"

"Heh, yeah," she sighed. The two of them slowly made their way out of Skull Rock, and Terra looked up at the sky.

"Time to go, I guess," he sighed. Corva nodded, before looking up as well.

"I think… I'm going to see if Ven is here," she decided.

"Huh?" Terra asked, looking over at her, surprised. She put a hand to her heart.

"I just feel like he might be. And you asked me to travel with him to protect him from Vanitas, so…" Corva trailed off, and Terra nodded.

"I get it," he said with a warm smile. "Be careful, alright?"

"You, too," Corva said with a smile, stepping back and watching as he summoned his armor and glider. He nodded to her, then took off into the Lanes Between. With a small smile, Corva opened her wings and took off, flying back to the main Island.

…

 **A/N:** And here is where I shall end it. So far, _this_ is the longest chapter, heh.


	8. Destiny

**A/N:** I'm baaaaaaaack! Here we go with more of Corva's story!

Obviously, I don't know what to call the two lost boys who appear in Neverland. I know their names are Slightly and Chubby, but they're never? Actually introduced? By name? So… Corva thinks of them as fox-boy and bear-boy.

But enough about that.

Review Reply to Guest!

Yes. Yes she will. Just not quite yet. Honestly, you touched pretty close on my plans for Olor, and I LOVE that idea. If I was taking this series a different way, I'd actually totally switch up my plans. As it is, I have all the way into KH3 planned, and part of your idea would change too much of those plans. Though depending on how KH3 goes…

Anyways, ONWARD!

…

Chapter Eight: Destiny

Corva flew over the island, hoping to glimpse a familiar face, but it wasn't until she was passing over the camp that she found one. The two boys her and Terra had saved from the monsters, plus…

"Aqua!" Corva called, tucking her wings against her back and diving down. The Keyblade Master looked up from the paper she had just picked up, and smiled.

"Hey, Corva," she said as the angel landed.

"Aw…" the two boys chorused.

"Hm?" Aqua turned to look at the two of them.

"We were so close," fox-boy sighed. Then he noticed the angel. "Oh! Hi again!" he said with a grin, while bear-boy waved. Corva smiled brightly at them.

"Too bad, men. Tough break!" a familiar voice called from above before Corva could ask what they were talking about. Both women looked up to see Peter.

"But Pan!" the boys complained as the older one landed.

"No buts. You know the rules," he said to those two, before looking up. "Oh! Hi Corva. You're still hanging around?"

"Yeah, I was hoping to find another one of my friends, Ven. But I found Aqua instead," Corva explained.

"Ven? Oh, he left right after we defeated Hook, not too long after I left you and Terra at Skull Rock," Peter explained.

"Ah," Corva muttered, before shrugging to herself, glancing over at Aqua. _Despite how she talked to me and Ven last time… I wonder if she'd mind if I traveled with her a bit?_

"Wait. Both Ven and Terra were here?" Aqua asked, shocked.

"But Pan, what about the map?" fox-boy pressed, looking between the paper in Aqua's hand, and their leader, before anyone could answer Aqua's question.

"Oh! Right!" Peter said. "The first one to find and claim the treasure map gets to be the leader." He turned to Aqua. "And that's you," he said.

"Leader?" Aqua asked, tipping her head to the side. She seemed like she was starting to feel whiplashed. Corva was beginning to realize that was normal with Peter Pan.

"Of the expatition!" fox-boy exclaimed, mispronouncing the word.

"Uh, we're goin' on a treasure hunt. And that's our map you got!" bear-boy added. Aqua lifted it to look at it, while Tinker Bell appeared, fluttering over to Peter. Corva couldn't understand what she was saying, but she seemed a little ticked off.

"Whaddaya mean? I never said girls can't be part of the gang," Peter said. "C'mon, Tink, the more the merrier!"

"Oh…" Corva muttered, before giggling slightly. _She's… jealous? Of me and Aqua? Wow…_

"I'm sorry, but I—well, I guess we—really need to be getting after Terra and Ven," Aqua said sincerely. She held the map out to Peter. "Here, you keep it."

Tinker Bell nodded.

"Too bad… but rules are rules," Peter said. The pixie whirled around to face him. "I guess we'll just have to call off the treasure hunt," Peter decided, much to the horror of the two boys.

"Nooo!" they whined. Aqua and Corva glanced at each other.

"Well, we have a little time," Corva said, and Aqua let out a slightly exasperated sigh.

"All right, you win. I'll join you for one 'expatition'," she said.

"Whoopee!" the boys cheered, and Corva grinned at that.

"Then we can go find the other two," she promised, and Aqua smiled at her with a nod. She then opened the map and began to study it.

"As far as I can tell, we're here," she said, pointing to a marked spot on the map. She slid her finger to a red x. "And this mark here is where we'll find the treasure," she added.

"Enough pointin'.C'mon, let's go!" fox-boy groaned.

"Wait a second!" Peter suddenly said. "We know Corva, but we don't even know our leader's name!" He grinned and pointed to himself. "I'm Peter Pan. The jealous one over here is Tinker Bell." The pixie crossed her arms with a huff, turning away. "And you are?"

"Aqua," the master said with a smile.

"So you're Aqua! I guess now it makes sense Corva knows you, too!" Peter said with a grin.

"Huh?" Aqua asked.

"Now, first stop—Mermaid Lagoon!" Peter declared.

 _So much for Aqua the Leader,_ Corva thought with a smile.

"Oh, okay," Aqua said, her thoughts seeming similar to Corva's. She watched as Peter and Tinker Bell took off into the air, leading the way. The two boys ran after them.

They began to follow him, when Aqua suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh yeah, Corva. I made you this," she said, pulling something from her pocket.

Corva couldn't help the gasp that escaped her.

"A Wayfinder?" she asked. Aqua nodded, taking Corva's hand and placing the star charm in it.

"Yes. Once I realized you and Ven didn't go home… I decided to make this for you. After all, you are one of us now," Aqua said. Corva gently brushed her fingers over the glass star, taking in the scarlet red color that gleamed in the sun. "I worked the same magic on that as I did the other three. And unbreakable bond," the Master explained. Corva smiled, pressing the charm against her chest, and giving Aqua a one armed hug.

"I love it. Thank you," she said, before tying the strap to her belt, and placing the star in her pocket. She made sure the knot was secure, not wanting to chance losing it while flying, and the two girls began walking again.

"Also… I realize I was a little harsh on you and Ven. I'm sorry. I just… can't stand the thought of either of you getting hurt," Aqua admitted. Corva chuckled slightly.

"I know. But… Ven's been training so hard alongside you and Terra. He's strong. And I've been training to be a guardian angel, and to fight demons, since I was eight. Demons… they're not too different from Unversed," Corva mused.

"Oh? Aqua asked curiously. Corva nodded.

"Both Demons and Unversed are creatures of darkness, who attack beings with hearts, or even the least bit of light in them. Granted… demons have the advantage of not being mindless beings like Unversed, but…" Corva trailed off, shaking her head.

Aqua was quiet for a moment, before looking over at the angel. "Corva, could you… tell me more about these demons? Just in case they made if off of your world, like yourself. If we wind up having to fight any…" she trailed off, and Corva nodded in understanding.

 _Not just me, but Olor, Parca… and who knows who else got away…_ Corva thought.

"Unfortunately, I think we'd only have to worry about the stronger breed of demons…" Corva sighed. "They… are what is known as Fallen Angels."

"'Fallen Angels'?" Aqua asked, and Corva nodded.

"Fallen Angels… are those who fell from the light. It usually starts with them failing as a Guardian Angel. When that happens, the angel is said to become cursed; everything the touch dies." Corva let out a deep sigh. "But beyond that… an Angel's heart becomes bonded to that of their charge. If their charge is lost… that bond shatters, taking a piece of the Angel's heart with it."

"So… not only do they have to live with a curse, but they are also missing a part of their heart?" Aqua asked. Corva nodded.

"Yes. And because of the curse, most failed guardians live in a self-exile, separating themselves from their loved ones in order to protect them, and becoming isolated. All of that is the perfect recipe to build a large amount of self-loathing, which turns into resentment towards angels and humans. At that point… most turn to darkness, and because their damaged heart is effected easier by the darkness, they Fall. They lose their feathers and hair, and their skin becomes gray and oily. Their wings morph into demonic wings and… their eyes glow yellow," she explained, shuddering at the thought. Even Aqua shivered.

"If we ever face any demons, I think it'll be those Fallen Angels. There aren't many of them, but the ones that are out there are old, and powerful. And because they were once Angels, they know of other worlds. And they know the weaknesses Angels have." Corva's feathers bristled at the thought. "I… I hope the Fallen Angels were lost along with my world," she admitted softly. Aqua wrapped an arm comfortingly around the younger girl's shoulders.

"I hope we don't have to face them either," she said, giving Corva a squeeze. Corva smiled, comforted, before looking forward.

"Ah, there you two are!" Peter said as the two girls caught up with him and the boys. "Come on, Mermaid Lagoon is this way!" And with that, he took off again. Corva smiled slightly at that, glancing at Aqua.

"I thought you were supposed to be the leader," she teased. Aqua chuckled.

"So did I," she agreed as the two girls followed him. They didn't take more than a few steps when a familiar voice rang out.

"I have you now, Peter Pan!"

The group looked forward to find Captain Hook standing on one of the tiny Islands, separated from them by a small stretch of shallow water.

"Today's the day I shall be rid of you forever!" the pirate declared.

"I'm busy right now, Hook. We're on an expatition," Peter called back. "Can't I show you up some other day?"

"You'll show me up now!" Hook snapped. Corva snickered, wondering if the man even realized what he just said. "Give back me treasure."

"You're still going on about that?" Corva called. Hook's eyes cut over to her, and he sneered.

"If it isn't the other flying brat," he snarled.

"Who's that?" Aqua asked.

"Aw, that's just Captain Hook. He's a two-bit pirate codfish," Peter answered.

"Terra and I… had a run in with him," Corva added.

With that, the group continued on their way, as though the pirate captain wasn't shouting abuse at them.

"I'll cleave you into two bits, boy! Smee!" the man yelled, before rushing off to take cover.

A moment later, something exploded right behind the group, prompting them to spin around.

"We're sitting ducks out here. Run!" Aqua commanded, and the group took off, Peter and Corva taking to the air, where they felt more comfortable. They moved as fast as they could through the pathways exposed to the water, where Hook's ship was firing on them, even going as far as to ignore the Unversed, until finally, they reached a path that lead them further inland, and the cliffs protected them from the cannon fire.

"Phew," Corva sighed, landing next to Aqua. She grasped the younger girl's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Corva nodded.

"Yeah. A little shaken, but fine," she replied. The two then walked over to the boys, who were staring up at the cliff face in front of them, horror written across their faces.

"What is it?" Aqua asked, glancing from them, to up the cliff face.

"The mark on the map points all the way up there," bear-boy said. Aqua studied the cliff, a small frown forming on her face. Corva looked up as well.

 _That's nothing to me, and I'm sure Peter, but for these three…_

"Aww, relax. A little pixie dust, and we'll be there in a jiffy," Peter said, floating up behind the group.

"But…" the group turned to Peter as bear-boy began, "we've never had to flied that high before!"

"What if we fall?" fox-boy added.

"Hey, when did you two turn into cowards?" Peter scolded.

"That was a little harsh," Corva said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, don't you think you're asking a bit much of them?" Aqua added.

"This is between me and them, girls," Peter said before turning back to the boys. Aqua and Corva exchanged looks, before shrugging.

Peter crossed his arms and looked at the boys. "Men, only the bravest of the brave can claim that treasure."

"Yeah, we know…" bear-boy said, turning back to the cliff. Fox-boy did the same, and the two moved a little closer, prompting Peter to smile, before looking over at Tinker Bell.

"Tink, if you would."

She ignored him, and Peter frowned.

"We haven't got all day!" he said. Tink glanced back at him, before flying forward. Corva stepped back, and the fairy circled Aqua and the boys. A moment later, the two boys took off, flying after the pixie. Aqua gasped in surprise.

"Wow…" she muttered.

"I'll follow to make sure they're alright," Corva said, launching herself into the air after them. Moments later, Peter and Aqua joined them at the top.

"Whoa…" Aqua muttered. Corva chuckled at her.

"Neat, huh?" she asked, and Aqua nodded. Corva smiled more, and they followed after Peter and the boys, who began to walk forward again.

Only… to find themselves in the area outside of the Indian Camp.

 _Wha…?_

"Hey, aren't we back where we started?" Aqua asked, looking around in confusion.

"Ya mean we went all the way around Never Land for nothin'?" fox-boy demanded.

"There has to be something to this," Corva said, crossing her arms and looking over at Peter.

He grinned at her, then looked down at the boys. "Well, ya conquered all sorts of obstacles to get here," he reminded them. "And to me, that's certainly not nothin'."

"Huh. You know, I had you all wrong," Aqua said to the older boy with a smile. "You were just looking out for them back there. Being a good leader."

"Yeah, of course I was!" Peter said with a grin. Corva shook her head, chuckling softly.

 _Such a child…_ she thought to herself.

"You're too late, Peter Pan!" Hook's voice suddenly called from above. The group looked up to see him standing on one of the cliff walls, the treasure chest just next to him. "I'll be taking what's mine now.

"It's Hook!" Corva gasped.

"Smee, secure me treasure," the captain commanded.

"Aye-aye, Cap'n!" the little man's voice came from behind the chest, despite him being too short for the group to see. The top opened, and the man cried out in shock.

"What is it now?" Hook demanded, not taking his eyes off the group below.

"C-Cap'n, it's the treasure. It's b-been—"

"Spit it out, you idiot!" Hook snapped, whirling around to face the chest. He froze, and his eyes grew wide. "Odd's fish! It's all junk!"

"Whaddaya mean, junk? Those are our treasure, Hook!" Peter snapped.

"Unlike you, their treasure is actually something to be treasured!" Corva added.

But what did you do with _my_ treasure!?" the pirate captain demanded, stomping his foot like a five-year-old. Corva could barely contain her grin, remembering _exactly_ what happened to the gold and jewels.

"Oh, we losted it all," bear-boy replied, like it wasn't a big deal at all.

"You _WHAT!?_ "

"Careful, Hook. Keep going like that, you'll probably have an aneurism," Corva said. Aqua giggled at that behind her hand.

"Quite, you," he snarled at Corva, before looking back at Peter and the boys. "You scurvy brats have crossed me for the last time!"

 _Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock_

Hook twitched in time with the sound. "Hmm? What's that? That sound…" the captain looked around with narrowed eyes. Corva smirked, looking around as well. Last time she heard that sound…

Ah! There he was. At the mouth of the river, with eyes only for Hook.

"Not you again!" Hook cried, having spotted the crocodile as well. "No, get away from me! Smee! Do something!" Hook cried, spinning on his heel and running away, crying the name of his first mate. Corva could only assume the little man followed after him as he yelled;

"Wait, Cap'n!"

Corva doubled over in laughter, the others joining her. The crocodile watched after his favorite pirate captain, seeming disappointed, before he turned and swam out of the lagoon.

Once they calmed down, Peter and Corva flew up to the cliff and got the chest, working together to bring it back down for the rest of the group. Peter then pushed it open, showing Corva and Aqua the assortment of toy weapons inside.

Aqua suddenly gasped, reaching in and pulling out a wooden Keyblade with Terra's name carved into the handle. Corva immediately recognized it as the one Ven had used in his spar against Lea.

"Is this…" Aqua began.

"Oh, Ventus left that here. I guess it's a special keepsake or somethin'," Peter explained while Aqua examined it. "But don't worry about him. He said he would be all right without it," the boy added.

"So I've been told," Aqua muttered, turning and catching Corva's eye. The angel smiled warmly at the woman, and they turned back to Peter, who crossed his arms.

"Then he promised to visit us again with even better treasures—maybe enough to fill a hundred treasure chests!"

"That sure sounds like him," Corva laughed, while Aqua shook her head, looking at the wooden weapon in her hands again.

"So, Ven really was here…" she sighed.

A chill suddenly rolled down the girls' backs, and their heads snapped up in unison, turning towards the Indian Camp.

"So is someone else," Corva said.

"What's the matter?" Bear-boy asked.

"It's nothing," Aqua said, before glancing back at the boys, returning the wooden Keyblade to the chest. "Best that you stay here." And with that, the two of them left the boys and Tinker Bell, moving quickly towards the source of the darkness they were sensing.

The two ran through the camp as fast as they could, until they reached the wide open space at the end, near the edge of the cliff.

"So, have a good time hanging out with the kiddies?" a dark voice asked from behind, causing the two to skid to a halt and turn.

Walking towards them was a boy, wearing a strange black and red veined bodysuit with a feathered skirt around his waist, open at the front. Covering his head was an odd reflective mask, and in his hand was the same wooden Keyblade Aqua had just been examining.

"A boy in a mask?" Corva muttered, before scowling. "So. You're Vanitas, the source of the Unversed," she snarled, summoning Holy Sword.

"Hmph. And you must be the meddling Guardian Angel, who has pledged herself to protecting these three," Vanitas countered, turning his head slightly towards her. "Sorry to say, but you will fail. _Again_."

Corva reeled back in shock and slight hurt. It wasn't the implication that she'd fail—hell, she _expected_ that—it was the fact that he knew she failed before.

"How…?"

Vanitas reached into his belt and pulled something from it. Something that made Corva's breath freeze in her chest.

It was a long, pure white feather.

"A little birdy told me," Vanitas said, sounding amused. He tucked the feather back in his belt, and moved closer. Aqua, who'd been looking at Corva in concern, turned back to him, and gasped, noticing the wooden Keyblade in his hand for the first time.

"How'd you get that?" she demanded.

"Hmph. If he's old enough to warrant needing a Guardian Angel, however useless she might be, then I think that kid's outgrown such a childish toy," he said, lifting the wooden blade up so that he held it by both hands, "if you ask my opinion," he added darkly, and it one swift motion, he snapped the blade into two, wooden splinters flying from it. Both Aqua and Corva gasped in shock, and the boy tossed the two pieces away. Aqua reached after them, while Corva glared at the boy, her feathers bristling.

"You'll pay for that," she snarled.

"Hmph," the boy scoffed, before raising his hand and summoning a dark Keyblade. It was black and red, just like his outfit, and seemed to be made up of gears, held together by chains. He pointed it directly at Aqua.

"Just like I've outgrown my need for you." He dropped into a fighting stance, prompting Corva to do the same.

"You freak!" Aqua snapped, summoning Rainfell and moving into her own fighting stance. "Corva, stand back! He's mine!" she commanded.

"No! I promised to protect Terra and Ven, and now, I'm promising to protect you too, Aqua. If you face him, I will be by your side to protect you!" Corva declared, and this time, she _felt_ it. A bond forged between her's and Aqua's heart, connecting them just as strongly as the Wayfinder that sat in her pocket.

Aqua gasped softly, turning to look at the angel, before she nodded, a small smile crossing her features. The two girls turned back to Vanitas, ready to fight, but the boy simply laughed.

"Alone or together, I'm still strong enough to take you down," he said, before suddenly lunging forward, Keyblade point first. Black lightning sprayed from the point in an arc, forcing the girls to dodge to either side. Corva took to the sky, watching the boy's movements, while he and Aqua traded blows.

As Aqua finished a particularly devastating combo, Vanitas seemed to freeze. Then the light above Aqua seemed to twist, and—

"Aqua!" Corva yelled, diving. She reached her just in time to block Vanitas, who had warped above the girl and attempted to attack her from behind. He jumped back, away from the two, and suddenly glowed with dark light, before diving _into the ground._

Corva immediately took to the air, and Aqua cartwheeled away from the spot she'd been standing, just as Vanitas exploded from the ground in a dangerous attack. He then dove underground again.

This went on a few more times, until Aqua managed to land a powerful spell on the boy as he came out of the ground, throwing him off balance. Corva dove towards him, striking out with her sword in a series of thrusts. Most found their mark, and Vanitas stumbled back from the onslaught, crying out in pain.

Then, just like before, his image seemed to freeze.

"Corva!" Aqua called, but it was too late. The boy appeared above the angel, and slashed his Keyblade across her wings as he dropped to the ground. Corva screamed in pain, feeling the thin skin over her wing muscles split open. She staggered forward, gasping.

Aqua was suddenly there in a flash of magic, her whole body glowing whitish-pink. Magic surrounded her Keyblade in the same light, and she slammed into Vanitas with the force of a speeding truck, throwing him away from the injured angel. Vanitas had no time to react to Aqua's combo, and was thrown back and to the ground, where he landed, spread eagle, his Keyblade bouncing away before vanishing.

Aqua turned and walked over to Corva. " _Curaga,"_ she said, and Corva gasped in relief as the pain from her wings receded. She looked back and saw the jagged cut across them closing, and a quick shake of her wings moved her feathers to lay over that spot smoothly once more.

"Thanks," she murmured to Aqua. _Although that shouldn't have happened. I'm supposed to protect_ you _, not the other way around…_

"Corva, I know you promised to protect me," Aqua said, taking the girl's hand and pulling her to her feet. Corva almost wondered if she was reading her mind. "But you're not just my Guardian Angel. You're my _friend._ Which means if you're in danger, I'll do everything in my power to protect you, too. And I know Ven and Terra would do the same," she said. Corva looked up at her in surprise, then smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," the Angel said, before both turned, noticing the view of the sea.

"We finally did it. We beat Vanitas. Terra and Ven… they can rest easy now," Aqua sighed with a smile.

"Heh, yeah," Corva agreed, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of the wind through her hair and feathers.

"Aqua! Corva!" Peter's voice suddenly called from behind. The girls turned towards him, and Corva gasped slightly, noticing Vanitas was… gone.

"Are you two okay?" the boy asked, landing in front of them. Aqua was staring at the spot Vanitas had been as well, perhaps wondering where he went.

"We're fine," she said. Peter looked around, before noticing the two halves of the wooden Keyblade on the ground.

"Oh no! Look at Ven's treasure!" he gasped.

"It's okay, Peter," Aqua said. "Whatever it is that binds us together isn't going to break so easily… and that's our real treasure," Aqua said, glancing at Corva to include her in that 'us.' She then walked over, picking up the handle of the Keyblade. She held it up, studying it. "I think Ventus knew that. That's why he left this behind."

"You must really be close," Peter said, crossing his arms.

"And that's somethin' pretty special. You two, and Ventus… and Terra, right?" the boy asked. He then grinned. "One day, you should all come back!" he declared.

"I'd like that," Aqua admitted. Corva grinned.

"It'd be a lot of fun, actually," the angel added.

…

The two of them soon left Neverland, with Corva flying alongside Aqua's scooter like glider. They were both quiet, leaving each other to their own thoughts. Every now and again, Corva would pull her Wayfinder from her pocket (never untying it from her belt though), and would study it.

 _So I'm not just their Guardian, but also their friend,_ Corva thought with a warm smile, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the scarlet glass. _It's been a year since I was this happy, but since I met Master Eraqus… I never want to let go of this feeling…_

Just then, a warm, golden glow appeared in front of the two. Corva quickly returned her Wayfinder to her pocket and looked up.

"What's that light?" Aqua asked. Corva opened her mouth, about to reply that she didn't know, when she recognized it.

The two of them flew into it before she had a chance to respond.

…

Corva knew it. They landed in the world she had left Parca in, though now it was sunset. _I hope we don't run into him,_ she thought, glancing towards the large tree she had last seen him. Thankfully, no one was there. So, she followed Aqua across a bridge to a smaller islet, not more than a couple of yards from the main Island.

On that islet was a tree, curved at an awkward angle. Growing from that tree were large yellow star shaped fruits. Aqua smiled warmly at them, and pulled out her Wayfinder, a blue one.

"Did you model these after those fruits?" Corva asked, puller her own from her pocket.

"Yes. They say if you carry charms shaped like those, you'll never truly be apart," she explained, before sadness crossed her face. She looked at her Wayfinder once more. "Terra… Ven…" She looked up, meeting Corva's eye. "Corva. I hope we're ready for the storm that's coming."

Dread filled Corva.

"Aqua—" she began, wanting to tell the master about what Xehanort was doing to Terra; how he was manipulating him. She never got the chance.

"Hey, wait up!" a young voice called from the main island. Both girls turned towards the source, and Corva was surprised to see two young boys—the same two she had watched last time she was here.

"Too slow, Sora! See ya at the finish line!" the silver haired boy, who was in the front, called back to his brown haired friend.

Just as they crossed under the bridge, the slowed to a stop, the silver haired boy pumping the air with his fist. Meanwhile, the brunet had his hands on his knees, panting. Finally catching his breath, he turned to the other boy.

"One more time! You just got lucky!" he complained, just as Aqua and Corva walked across the bridge.

"Huh?" the silver haired boy muttered, looking up, noticing them first.

Aqua glanced back at Corva and grinned, before hopping down off the bridge, much to the brunet's surprise. Corva grinned and sat on the bridge, stretching her wings out to either side of her. The silver haired boy watched her for a moment, before turning to Aqua, who crouched in front of the boys.

Aqua looked between the two thoughtfully, a smile on her face.

"One of you might be special enough," she suddenly said softly. She then smiled up at them. "Hey, you two mind telling me your names?" Aqua asked, and Corva felt herself leaning forward, in spite of herself.

"I'm Sora!" the brunet, Sora, said excitedly. Aqua smiled warmly, before turning to the other boy.

"And you?"

"Riku," he said, nowhere near as excitedly as his friend.

Aqua began to smile warmly at him, before her eyes widened. She looked down for a moment, before looking up at Sora.

"Sora, do you like Riku?" she asked.

"Of course I like him, he's my best friend!" Sora exclaimed. Corva smiled.

 _He's ADORABLE._

"Good," Aqua smiled. "So then, if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost—" _Whoa, where'd THAT come from?_ "—or say, he starts wandering down a dark path alone—" _Oh…_ "—you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe." Both boys stared at Aqua with wide eyes, before glancing at each other. Sora seemed worried, but Riku almost seemed to shrug off her words. "That's your job, Sora, and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?" Aqua added seriously. She then laughed, and ruffled both boys' hair, causing them to laugh as well.

As the boys walked away, Corva dropped down, landing next to Aqua. "Why'd you tell them that?" she asked.

"Someone, Terra, I think, passed the Keyblade onto Riku," Aqua said, before sighing. "And that boy reminds me so much of Terra. I thought about passing mine to Sora, but… One Keyblade is enough… for any friendship."

"Hm," Corva hummed. She looked up at the worry on Aqua's face as the girl watched after the two boys, and couldn't help it. She hugged her.

"Huh?" Aqua asked.

"You seemed worried. And kind of like you needed one," Corva said, giving Aqua a tight squeeze. "Try not to worry. I'm sure those two will be okay," she added, pulling back and looking after the two boys as well. Aqua smiled.

"You're probably right," she said, watching them.

"Corva, you said you were looking for Ven when you found me?" she asked after a moment of silence. Corva looked up at her and nodded.

"Yeah. Terra asked me to watch out for him. I should probably go find him now. Will you be okay?" Corva asked. Aqua smiled warmly at her.

"Are you asking me as my Guardian, or my friend?" she teased. Corva giggled at that, and Aqua smiled, looking towards the sun. "I'll be okay. Try not to worry too much, 'kay?"

"No promises," Corva said with a smile, before cloaking herself in light and taking off, into the slowly darkening sky.

…

 **A/N:** Yes. I know I'm evil. But I'm not sorry.


	9. AUTHOR NOTE

**AUTHOR NOTE**

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of update, I know that's why you're all here, hah. Thing is, tomorrow starts NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. WHICH MEANS, I will not post fanfiction during this month.

Because I'll be working on an original novel (between working on my script).

So… technically, I'll be writing OVER 50,000 words in 30 days. Whoo. (insert sarcasm here)

Do not worry, though! I am NOT abandoning this story! It's just on hold until December. Believe me, I have WAY too much planned for this series to just stop writing it.

But for those interested, I AM working on an original television script featuring Corva and the world of Paradise. (that's the script I'm working on in between the novel, so I'll stay with Corva's character, even if it's not posted here).

Alright, I think that's everything. Again, sorry guys!


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